underconstruction
by Rebellion of the Kat
Summary: currently being remade: DO NOT READ...wait.
1. Friendly Love

**Labyrinth Of Love**

**(LOL)**

A while back I said I might write a Jareth/Sarah/Hoggle love triangle as a challenge. Well, I suppose this story is kind of like that. It's more of a star-shape than a triangle but whatever, let's just see how it goes! Unlike all my other stories, I have written this as a whole so there won't be any delays (yay!!). There are nine chapters altogether. Not a lot, I know but each chapter is pretty long. I will be adding the next one on Tuesday and then probably adding the others everyday from then except weekends. If you are going to review this story I'd very much appreciate it if you could review each chapter, just so I know if there are any problems along the way. I do not use a beta reader, purely because I write for fun not professionalism, so please don't grill me for any tiny little mistake I may make. Thanks. RK!

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright to the characters of Jareth, Sarah, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, etc.

* * *

**Chapter One: Friendly Love**

There are not many people like Sarah. I can imagine if you ever met the Goblin King you'd fall in a faint. Then, once you've gotten over the shock, you would ask a great deal of questions as to why a man dressed in very strange clothes could juggle a number of crystal balls in his hand and transport you to a giant maze in less than a second. But not Sarah. She never asked questions, nor did she seem then slightest bit shocked when Jareth first infringed upon her daily life. She accepted whatever the world brought her and dealt with it as if it happened to everyone everyday. It was no surprise that she managed to sail through life since the day she returned from saving her baby brother. Miss Williams graduated high school with ease. Soon after, she effortlessly landed herself as an infant school teaching assistant, a job she loved very much, which was pretty surprising since most of the teachers were really quite mean to Sarah. They didn't include her in their 'adult' conversations. They didn't treat her as one of them. Obviously they were jealous of her. The kids adored Sarah more than any other teacher and they had every reason to be. She was younger, prettier and much more friendly. Mrs Taylor, teacher of the second grade, often ogled Sarah with the corner of her eye, wishing that her long dark shiny hair belonged to her. She was one of those people that victimized someone just for the fact that she simply didn't like them. Every wrong move Sarah made gave Mrs Taylor the chance to reprimand her in front of all the other teachers.

"Miss Williams! Miss Williams are you listening?" yelled Mrs Taylor for the third time. She had been asking Sarah to gather the children for five minutes.

"Hmm. Oh, sorry Jean, I'll do it right away" replied Sarah who quickly stood up from the mud-spattered ground wiping the dirt off her jeans. Then she walked over to the pack of kids who had already gotten filthy just from walking a few yards to the pond at the back of the school field.

"It's Mrs Taylor. Don't use my first name in front of the children" she shouted after her.

"Sorry" she shouted back. Then soon enough Sarah had tamed the disorderly children and they were walking single file down to the pond much to Jean Taylor's astonishment. Everytime _she_ tried to discipline the kids they would rebel against her even more. She wasn't like Sarah at all. Sarah adored teaching children for the simple reason that she could relate to them. Unlike most adults, Sarah had managed to hold on to her youthful imagination. Her dreams and fantasies didn't sift through her brain like the other teachers she worked with. That was why the children liked Sarah the best. She could make the dullest of stories seem exciting.

"Here we are then" said Sarah who immediately began to get all the kids kneeling beside the pond, marvelling at the wonders of nature. "That's a water strider. It skates across the water by using it's long legs…and look over there at that pond turtle. He looks like he's just woken up doesn't he. Look at his lazy eye."

The kids all laughed but the hilarity was broken by the divertive cough that Mrs Taylor produced.

"Granted, you've done your research Miss Williams but that is not how we do it in this school. The children need to be first taught the outside safety rules, then we need to place them into an appropriate seating arrangement. It is only then that we can begin to teach them about the nature of wildlife" said the teacher.

Sarah stood up looking more than humiliated.

"Sorry Mrs Taylor. I'm new to this whole field trip thing. I'm sorry for jumping ahead. I should know better" Sarah said.

"That's okay Miss Williams. Just watch how I do it and next time you might actually get it right."

For the next half hour Sarah remained quiet. She watched as Mrs Taylor bore the life out of the second-graders. She spent almost twenty minutes telling them what not to do when observing pond wildlife. Sarah knew that the kids could have learnt so much about nature in that time. Eventually they began to look at the water. Some of the kids got thoroughly excited when they saw all the different kinds of animals. Occasionally they would look back at Sarah and share a secret smile with her, laughing at the fact that Mrs Taylor was saying words that children at that age could not understand and would definitely not remember.

* * *

"Oh no!" shouted Cindy, the cutest little girl of the class a few minutes later. "My paper, my paper! It's fallen in the water." Cindy began to cry. "My drawing was on there" she said. 

"Oh don't worry honey, I'll reach and get it for you" said Sarah who knelt beside the pond and began to stretch out her arm to try and reach Cindy's sheet of paper.

"That won't be necessary Miss Williams. Cindy will just have to start again" said Mrs Taylor.

"Oh it's okay I've almost got it said Sarah.

"Miss Williams I told you to leave it alone!" the teacher shouted!

Cindy's cries rose in volume and it was not in Sarah's nature to deprive a young child of their own creation. She knew how important simple things like drawings were. "Miss Williams you're going to fall in if you're not careful. I said leave it!"

"She's shouting at Miss Williams" said one of the children as they began to whisper.

"Here we are. I've got it" said Sarah who managed to touch the tip of the paper with her fingers. But it was too late! Mrs Taylor had already knelt beside her and tried to pull her away from the pond. But her presence startled Sarah and she quickly jolted around only to hit the teacher in the face. Then, from shock, Sarah lost her balance and fell backwards into the pond! Sarah gasped. The children screamed. SPLASH!! Dirty pond water splattered all over the children, and even worse, Mrs Taylor's best suit!! They were all filthy, especially Sarah who looked like a mud-monster trying to clamber out of the pond. She looked awkwardly at Mrs Taylor who looked immensely cross. The kids seemed to be having a whale of a time, but Sarah knew that she would not be let off lightly.

* * *

A few hours later when school had finished Sarah arrived at her home. 

"Oh it was horrible!" she yelled as she slammed her apartment door shut, knowing perfectly well that her roommate had gone on vacation already. She threw down her bag and coat and groaned to herself when she faced the mirror. Then she began to undress herself until she was completely naked, not that it mattered. Nobody was around! She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Before she hopped into the bathtub she turned to face the mirror.

"What have you done?" she said to her reflection. "If she fires you, which she most likely will, you'll have nothing. Then what are you going to do?"

She sighed, then took her shower. While she was washing herself she could have sworn that she heard someone moving around in her bedroom, rummaging through her things. Eventually she smothered herself in her thick fluffy robe and walked into her bedroom. She must've imagined it. Nobody was there.

Now that she was home she could act however she wanted, and Sarah chose to act a little childish. It was her way of dealing with stress. She turned to her dreams and fantasies every time her day got her feeling down, which unfortunately was quite often. She lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling on which she had smartly placed posters of fairytale scenes. She became so lost in her thoughts that she almost failed to notice the creak of her bedroom door. Her eyes suddenly grew wide at the awareness of an intruder. Who was there? The footsteps began to walk slowly up to her bed. Her alarmed expression swiftly turned to a childlike smirk.

"I'm glad you've come" she said, still lying down, facing the ceiling. Then she sat up and turned around to face the friend who always came to her when she felt frazzled. "Come here Hoggle. Give me a hug!"

The ugly little dwarf's eyes lit up as he scrambled onto the bed and collapsed into the arms of his best friend.

"I've missed you Sarah. It's been a long time" said Hoggle to which Sarah responded with a giggle.

"It's only been a week" she laughed.

"Seems like a year to me" he said.

She embraced him again.

"So where are the others? It's not like you to come alone" she said.

"Here we are my Lady" called a voice from behind her.

A noble fox and his cowardly dog, along with a big friendly chestnut giant came marching through her door. Her face glowed like a child at Christmas. She ran up to her friends and squeezed them so tightly they could hardly breathe.

For the rest of the night the friends exchanged stories and told each other how they're lives were going. Sarah revealed her troubles about her job and consequently her friends tried to comfort her.

"It's not fair though! I worked so hard. The kids love me, they say they learn so much more from me than what that stupid Jean Taylor teaches them. And now I'm going to be fired, just for trying to bring a little fun into the classroom."

"You don't know that Sarah. You'll prob'ly just be let off with a warning. That's all" replied Hoggle.

"No, you don't know that teacher. She can win over the Principal of the school easily. I think they might have a thing going on between them. I might as well face it. I'm unemployed."

"Well who needs a job anyway" said Sir Didymus.

"Job bad…friends good" said Ludo. Sarah smiled.

"If only it was that easy. In this world it's all about the work. If you haven't got a job, you've got nothing. Not like in the Labyrinth" she said.

"Don't be so sure about that Sarah. We 'ave to work too. Jareth is always makin' me do load of jobs. Guarding the entrance, spraying the fairies, looking out for enemies. And he's always watchin' for me to slip up so he can threaten to throw me in the Bog Of Eternal Stench" said Hoggle.

"Well he hasn't changed much then has he" said Sarah. "Why don't you all just confront him?"

They all gasped at her comment.

"Scared" said Ludo.

"He's right. We could never challenge our master like that. He has too much power" said Sir Didymus.

"Well then I'll talk to him" said Sarah. "It'll be good to see that place again."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Sarah" said Hoggle. "Jareth said he don't want you anywhere near the Labyrinth. He don't wanna see your face ever again."

"I don't care what he says. He can't be still holding a grudge after five years. Besides, he doesn't have to know that I'm there, just let me come into the Labyrinth with you. Just for one day. I want to meet some of the strange creatures I saw last time. The nights get so lonely for me after you leave. Please." Sarah begged.

Hoggle thought for a second but then he realised that he had to put his foot down.

"No. I won't let you. If Jareth finds out you're there I don't know what he'll do to you and I'm not gonna take you there just to find out" said Hoggle. "Now, lets talk about something' else…Say er' have you got yerself a boyfriend yet Sarah?"

"No" she scoffed. "The only boy who's asked me out in the last few months was one of the fourth-graders. I mean, he was sweet, but just twelve years too young."

"Well that's good" said Hoggle. Then he coughed. "Well, I mean yer don't want to be rushing into anything don't yer."

* * *

As this conversation was in occurrence, another individual was also brooding about being bored and lonely. Imagine how forlorn you would feel to be completely isolated from every living person in the entire universe, to be forced to dwell in a secluded castle, having so much power but sharing it with nobody and having so much love to give but sharing it with nobody. He sat on his throne, the place where he always sat when he was in one of his moods. His platinum wiry hair mirrored through the crystal ball that he twiddled about in his gloved hands. He didn't even bother to quiet the unruly crowd that paraded through his court. It was a sign that he was bored. He wanted love, but who would he get it from. And…who would he decide to give it to?

* * *

_Author's Note: See how I do my research! In the UK we have pond-skaters. I found out that they're called water striders in the US. Yep yep yep, I can guarantee you that this story is proper reliable baby! Anyway, the next chapter will be added shortly as it has already been written. Review please xxx_

_Next Chapter: Trapped Love_


	2. Trapped Love

**Chapter Two: Trapped Love**

Even though she was expecting it, it still came as a shock.

"Miss Williams. I'm afraid I've have no other alternative. I'm going to have to dismiss you" said Principal Waltham.

Sarah looked shaken. It looked as if she would burst into a flame of tears at any moment.

"But…but I worked so hard. I'm very sorry about yesterday but you've got to believe me, it was just a small mistake" Sarah pleaded.

"It's not just about yesterday. You were only on trial Miss Williams and I have come to the conclusion that we need someone a little older, a little more experienced and a little more disciplined with children. You must realise that teachers cannot be friends with them, not even teaching assistants. Children need to take orders from adults, not form long-lasting friendships. I'm sure you'll do fine to get another job soon. This one just isn't right for you."

Sarah felt more than upset. It was her first ever job and she had been fired! But she knew better than to leave kicking up a fuss.

"Okay then. Thank you for giving me the opportunity anyway" she said weakly before she walked away from what she thought would be a large part of her future.

The journey home seemed a lot more miserable than she had ever known it to be. The sun didn't bother to shine on her like it usually did. She looked through the large iron school gates and saw the children playing happily. Tears formed in her eyes when she saw little Cindy dancing around. She should have been a part of that.

"Miss Williams" said a little boy who ran up to the gate. "Why aren't you playing with us? Are you going home. Have you got a bad tummy?"

"No Colin. I'm afraid I'm not working here anymore" Sarah said trying to smile as she said it.

"Don't you like us anymore Miss Williams?" asked Colin.

"Oh, of course I still like you. I'll miss all of you very much. Me and Principal Waltham just had a disagreement…I'm really sorry I can't be with you anymore Colin. Can you do me a favour, tell all the other kids to be good from me will you?"

"Sure Miss. I will."

"Thank you Colin" she said, and with that, Colin ran off to spread the news. Sarah was no longer going to be a part of their lives.

* * *

"Well, that's it. It's over" Sarah said later that night as she lounged on her bed in her jeans and cotton sweater. It was only Hoggle that was with her this time.

"I'm sorry Sarah. If there was anything I could do, I would. 'Ere, do you want me to send some goblins over there and teach that teacher a few lessons of our own."

Sarah shot Hoggle an annoyed look.

"Hostility is not the answer Hoggle, maybe in your world, but not here."

Then Sarah's face lit up. She bit her lip and looked longingly at her friend.

"What you givin' me that look for?" asked Hoggle.

"You said that if you could help me, you would, right?"

"Right"

"Well, there is one thing that you can do" she said.

Hoggle looked at her for a second, then he realised what she was after.

"Oh no. No way Sarah. I told you yesterday you are not coming to the Labyrinth again. Jareth might 'ave been easy on you last time but you were just a child then. He won't be best pleased if I let you there again."

"Come on Hoggle. You know the Labyrinth even better than he does. You know all the best places to hide, he won't even know I'm there. Please!"

Sarah gave him a puppy dog pout. She knew Hoggle was a soft touch.

"Oh…alright then, but don't say I didn't warn yer."

"Thanks Hoggle" she said excitedly. "Don't worry I'll be there for two hours tops. Besides I've got an outing with my dad tomorrow so it's not like I'm planning to stay forever. So, how do we get in?"

"Through there" Hoggle said as he pointed. She followed his finger until she saw her bedroom mirror stretched in front of her. Hoggle walked over to the mirror. He took one last look at Sarah before he walked through it, as if it wasn't even there. There was no sound of glass breaking or even squeaking the slightest little bit.

"I've never seen you do that before" she said looking amazed. It had been a long time since had seen magic.

"I never let you see me do that before, didn't want to give you any ideas" said Hoggle. "No come on."

Sarah slowly walked up to the mirror. She thought back to when she first walked through a brick wall in the Labyrinth. It wasn't that hard. All she had to do was walk through it. She decided it would be best of she did it in one quick motion. She took a deep breath, walked back a few steps, closed her eyes then sauntered towards the mirror. Hoggle was already inside waiting for her. He watched as she marched towards him. Finally, she reached the glass reflection but instead of passing through it she ended up bouncing back from it and falling on the floor. Now it made a sound.

"What happened?" she asked as she tried to stand up whilst rubbing her head.

"You went too fast Sarah. You can't just rush into a mirror and expect you'll get through it. You have to take yer time, imagine that it ain't there. Try it again but this time close yer eyes and think about it."

"I did close my eyes last time, but then I opened them a second before and it made me lose my balance."

"Well why don't you blindfold them then, it might help you concentrate more."

Sarah walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out an old scarf. She turned to faced the mirror, tied the scarf around her head then stretched her arms out in front of her. Slowly, she walked forward, all the time imagining that she could easily pass through the mirror. After a few steps she felt for the glass. She wasn't there yet. She walked a little further. It seemed like she'd been walking for ages.

"Am I there yet Hoggle" she asked.

After a few more steps she halted when she finally reached her friend.

"There you are" she said as she touched him with her hands. "Are you trying to joke around with me. Why aren't you saying anything?" she laughed.

Only Sarah didn't know that it was not Hoggle that she felt in front of her. Hoggle had been told to stay quiet. Sarah quickly took her blindfold off and gasped when she saw who it was that she had just been touching and talking to.

"Jareth" she whispered as she gazed at the man she thought she'd never meet again.

They had opposite stares. His was one of amusement. Her's was one of surprise and humiliation. His presence was completely unexpected. She had almost forgotten what he looked like but the memories came flooding back; his deep, brooding eyes, his thin narrow mocking lips, his wild platinum hair, but most of all his fancy regal clothes which currently consisted of a black ruffled shirt and dark grey breeches. Of course he had a cape to accompany his attire and a sliver medallion to finish it off. Sarah looked down at her clothes. She hardly looked like she matched up with His Majesty. Her faded denim would doubtfully impress anyone, let alone a Goblin King. But the beauty of her face more than made up for her appearance. Jareth tried hard not to be captivated by her dark moon-shaped eyes and fair skin. She had lost her childish features since he last saw her but she still kept her innocent expression, especially now since she displayed a look of pure bewilderment on her face. She turned around to see Hoggle who was cowering away behind a rock in the corner. That was when she realised that she was now in the Labyrinth. Well, the entrance to it anyway. She saw the lake where she and Hoggle first met. It was still as dirty, maybe even more so. It all became so familiar. She felt like a fifteen year old again, back when she had to argue with Jareth and fight for the good guys. She knew she'd have to be that girl again so she turned back to Jareth and looked him fearlessly in the eyes.

"Hello Sarah" he said in a charming but threatening voice. "Trying to take over my Labyrinth again are you. Surely you didn't think you could sneak in here and get away with it. What did you do, convince the dwarf to bring you here? Hmmm. Flutter your pretty eyelashes at him and give him a stack of excuses about you being lonely in your world and wanting a change of scenery". Jareth looked at Hoggle. "I deal with you later!" he shouted,

"Leave Hoggle alone. It wasn't his fault. I walked through the mirror while he wasn't looking" demanded Sarah. She tried her best to look courageous but there was something seductive about his nature that made her feel weaker than she did last time.

"Still the same old Sarah" Jareth sighed as he began to pace around her much to her displeasure. "Stubborn, childish, naïve…the list continues."

"I can say the same for you as well." she said. "And for your information, I didn't come here because I felt lonely, I came to confront you."

"Really?" he said looking a little surprised.

"Yes. I don't like the way you treat my friends. You make them work for you like slaves."

"They are my slaves!" he said. "And they'll work for me whether the like it or not. No silly little girl will come into my Labyrinth and tell me what I should be doing. If I were you I would shut up now." Jareth stopped pacing and move closer to her. "Believe me Sarah, you wouldn't want to mess with me. I'm not as I was before. I can be very very dangerous" he said through gritted teeth.

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I've changed too. I'm not a little girl anymore and I won't let you mess me around like you did last time."

Jareth didn't like her talking like this. He hated anyone challenging him, especially a young girl. He gave her an evil stare before moving over towards Hoggle.

"I want you to take her home Hognose. If I find her here again you know what will happen to you."

"Yes. O'course I will" Hoggle said with fear in his voice. "I'll do it right now. The lady don't wanna 'cause no trouble, ain't that right Sarah."

Sarah sighed. She knew she didn't want to get Hoggle into trouble.

"Yes that's right" she said.

"Yer see. She'll go home without a fuss."

"Good" said Jareth as he started to fade away. "Just remember what I said Sarah. If I ever catch you here again I will not be so merciful."

Then, Jareth was gone.

"Right then" said Hoggle. "Let's get you back to where you belong."

"I'm not going back Hoggle" said Sarah. Hoggle gasped and shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't get you in any trouble. As long as I'm around, Jareth won't touch you. We'll get Ludo to be with us at all times. There's no way Jareth will dare defy Ludo. Then we'll try and find a way to turn all of his goblins against him. Once he sees that we're all furious with him, he'll have to change the rules." Hoggle began to breathe heavily like he was having a heart attack. She ran up to him to help him stand up straight. "Nobody calls my friend Hognose and get's away with it!" she said confidently.

* * *

Almost half an hour later:

"I'm coming Sarah!" shouted Hoggle. Only twenty minutes after entering the Labyrinth and she'd fallen off a ledge which towered over the Bog Of Eternal Stench. It seemed that the Labyrinth's course had changed a bit since the last time. That included the bog. It seemed a lot more angry than last time. It's slime was bubbling so high that she was afraid it was going to touch her.

"Help!" she shouted as she desperately tried to pull herself up from the rocky ledge.

"Grab me hand" he shouted as he reached out his dumpy upper limb for her to cling on to. "The bog's getting higher!"

"It does that?" she screamed.

"It does now. It won't stop 'til it's got yer. Can't yer feel it pulling yer down?"

"Is that what it's doing! Oh, help me Hoggle. I don't want to smell bad for the rest of my life!"

"Your too heavy!" he shouted. "And the force of the bog ain't helpin'." said Hoggle.

Hoggle pulled and pulled at her but the bog was too strong. Sarah tried hard to struggle herself up but it was impossible. Her feet were dangling right over the bog. It came so close it was almost touching her! She screamed every time she looked down. Hoggle pulled her so hard that one of his bracelets broke of his hand and fell down into the bog. They watched as the bog gulped it up and belched until his bracelet was no more. Hoggle sighed.

"That was me best piece of jewellery" he said.

Sarah had given him that bracelet last year but she didn't care about that right now. She frowned at him. Here she was dangling from a ledge and he was sad about his bracelet!

"Look Sarah!" Hoggle declared. "The bog's going down. It was me bracelet. It must think that it's got you!" said Hoggle.

As the bog lowered, the force of its pull lowered with it. Hoggle quite easily managed to pull Sarah up now. They both collapsed against the far wall.

"Not so bothered about me bracelet now. As long as you're okay" said Hoggle.

"Oh thank you Hoggle. You saved me" said Sarah as she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Hoggle's cheek making him blush. When she turned away to stand up, he lightly touched his cheek as if she had given him something very special.

* * *

All this took place in a crystal ball just a few twists and turns away from them. Into the ball gazed the Goblin King. He sat alone in a small room located in his castle, knowing that Hoggle wasn't going to take Sarah back home. The kiss that Sarah gave Hoggle seemed to disturb him. He remembered the words that he said to Hoggle all those years ago; _"if she ever kisses you I'll turn you into a Prince…Prince of the land of Stench…"_. He hated the thought of him kissing her, even back then.

* * *

"I really do think it's best if you go home now Sarah. Just so you don't get in any more trouble" said Hoggle as they walked back to the entrance of the Labyrinth.

"But what about our plan to confront Jareth?" she asked. "Don't you want to get your freedom from being his slave."

"Yes. Course I do but…well, here's a thought, why don't we continue our plan at your house. Then we won't be breaking any of Jareth's rules. I can bring the others over if you like."

"That's a great idea Hoggle! Come on then let's go" Sarah said as they approached the exit door.

They both pushed it open at the same time, only it wouldn't push open! It didn't move one bit. Oh no! Sarah was trapped!

* * *

_Author's Note: So_ _Jareth's here in the second chapter. I didn't want to drag it along because I want to get the storyline introduced pretty quickly. Reviews please xxx_


	3. Poisoned Love

**Chapter Three: Poisoned Love**

She tried pushing the door again but it just wouldn't open.

"What's going on Hoggle? Why won't it open?" asked Sarah.

"Let me give you the answer to that question" said Jareth. Sarah and Hoggle gasped as they looked behind them to see Jareth leaning casually against one of the side walls. "Oh come now. You must've known I'd know you were here. Only, I didn't think you'd give up so easily. Couldn't you have formed some sort of secret den somewhere in my Labyrinth and hatched your plan to turn all of my loyal goblins against me there" he said smiling.

Hoggle and Sarah didn't know what to say to that.

"Why can't she go home? That's all she was going to do? We ain't makin' a plan no more" said Hoggle.

"I specifically told you to send her home straight away Hoggle! But instead you had to take her gallivanting about the Bog Of Eternal Stench! " he shouted. "It won't be hungry for hours now. But when it is…guess who'll be the first on to satisfy it's appetite" he saying looking at the dwarf.

Hoggle threw himself down at Jareth's leg and began to grovel. Sarah rolled her eyes at her cowardly friend.

"So what so you expect me to do now?" Sarah asked Jareth.

"Whatever you like" he said. "Stay with your friends, devise an evil plan, I don't care. But you will not be leaving this Labyrinth, not now, not ever! For disobeying me you have become one of them now. You may live in the forest area where Hogbrain's hut is located. You may roam anywhere in the woods but you are forbidden anywhere near my castle or the heart of the Labyrinth."

"You can't do that?!" Sarah yelled.

"I think you'll find I can. You belong to me now Sarah. You are my slave" said Jareth.

"What are you going to do to me?" asked Hoggle.

"Your punishment is simple enough. Guilt! This girl will soon get so fed up living here that she won't be able to stand it. How would you handle having that on your conscience" said Jareth.

Hoggle gulped with fear. The thing Hoggle hated most was guilt, especially when he felt guilty about Sarah!

After Jareth had said all he had to say he disappeared again.

"Don't worry Hoggle. Don't feel guilty. We'll find a way out" said Sarah, but Hoggle knew that would be impossible.

* * *

Sarah spent the next few nights in Hoggle's cabin in the middle of the forest. It was cramped and musty but it was the only place she could be safe. She had to wash her jeans every night as none of the other creatures had clothes to fit her. One of the friendly goblins made her a few jackets out of old materials which didn't actually look that bad but she preferred her jeans most of the time. 

Hoggle let her have the bed even though it was a little small. In fact Hoggle was extremely nice to Sarah while she was in the Labyrinth. Usually he would spend his days alone so he really enjoyed her company. He made her breakfast every morning, though Sarah didn't even recognise what food he had made. He did everything to make sure she was comfy. She hadn't seen Jareth since her first day here but she knew he had probably been keeping an eye on her. In truth she hadn't even thought about the plan or how she was going to escape. So far she had just been enjoying the wonders of the Labyrinth without the burden of rescuing her baby brother constantly on her mind. She knew that someday soon she'd have to worry about how to get home and that would involve either confronting or begging with Jareth and she really didn't want to do the latter. But even though she was angry with him she couldn't help but ask Hoggle lots of questions about the mysteries of the Goblin King.

"He said that I was his slave now. Does that mean his going to ask me to do jobs for him like he asks you Hoggle?" Sarah asked her friend as they sat in his hut eating fruit that they had picked earlier.

"What?" Hoggle said who had been snapped out of his fixation with the juicy apple he had been devouring. "Err…I don't know. Jareth works in mysterious way. He may ask you to do stuff fer him or he may not. For my part, I think that he'll ban you from going anywhere near him."

"But why would he do that. He's not scared of me is he?"

"No. But he knows that there are a lot of things unsaid between you two. He knows that you'll prob'ly be wantin' to go home soon so if he totally blanks you out then that'll make you get twitchy. Yer see, I knows how his head works. He plays mind games with yer, very scheming he is."

"Well he better be aware that I can play games too." she said with confidence. "Anyway, how come you know so much about him?"

"When you've been in the Labyrinth as long as I have you're bond to pick up a few of his antics."

"How long have you been in the Labyrinth Hoggle?" Sarah asked.

"Oh I don't exactly remember how long"

"But you must have had a past here, a few stories to tell?"

"Not really" he said after hesitating. "Anyways you don't wanna talk about me. I'm just a dwarf, nothin' special about me."

"Oh Hoggle, you'll always be special to me" Sarah said with warmth. Hoggle smiled with delight.

"You mean that?"

"Of course" Sarah laughed. Then there was a comfortable silence between the two before Sarah spoke again. "So how did Jareth come to be Goblin King? Did he inherit the position or was her born into it?"

"I don't know" Hoggle answered quickly, rolling his eyes at the unwanted conversation of his disliked master.

"But you must know something. How long has he been a Goblin King for? And what exactly does a Goblin King do? Does he just sit around and wait until the goblins have stolen some innocent girl's baby brother or sister and then set her a challenge to come and look for him? Or was that just me? Come on Hoggle you must tell me something!"

"No I mustn't!" he snapped, surprising Sarah with his rage. "I've had enough of talking about Jareth!"

"I'm sorry. I was just curious" she said. Then the pair became silent again, only this time it was an awkward silence.

* * *

On her fourth morning in the Labyrinth, Sarah woke up earlier than Hoggle. She didn't want to wake him so she crept over him and left the hut. She had now become more accustomed to the nature of the Labyrinth and she knew that if she woke up early enough she wouldn't have to deal with Jareth's pesky goblins he sent to bother her every morning. This time she decided to walk to the left of the forest instead of the right. She admired the forest's charm as she sauntered along the secluded woodland. It was a jungle of fantasy with golden leaves and cobwebs that enthralled you rather than scared you. An eerie silence saturated the district as she ambled along, watching for any kind of stimulating activity. 

After strolling through the forest and passing several malevolent fairies she finally reached the very large tree she had been interested in since she came to the Labyrinth. It must have been over two metres in diameter! Big enough for Sarah to fit inside if there was a way to get inside it! She placed her dainty hand on the rough bark. The tree seemed normal enough. It was only it's size that made it stand out. Sarah followed the length of the tree up to the sky. It was much taller than the surrounding trees. You couldn't even see the top. As she walked around the tree she thought she heard someone's voice. It sounded as if it was coming from the tree. How did they get inside of it? She walked all the way around it and couldn't find an opening but she definitely could hear someone inside of it. She pressed her ear against the trunk to try and listen but instead she ended up falling through a gap that must have been concealed in the tree. She landed with a thud which must have startled whatever creature was inside of it.

"Hey! What are you doing trespassing n my secret quarters?!" shouted the creature who had gruff, bad-tempered voice.

Sarah stood up from the base of the tree and looked at the strange beast. He had brown rock-like skin and wore rags as clothes. He was quite large and so had to crook his back a little so he could fit under the tree. He had a big nose and only a few wisps of grey hair on his head. Sarah could tell he didn't want to be disturbed but she couldn't help but feel curious about a creature that shared the same habitat as her.

"What are you?" asked Sarah.

"Huh?" the creature grunted as it turned around. It strained its elderly eyes to examine her closer. "What does it look like? I'm a troll of course."

"Really?" Sarah said inquisitively. "I thought trolls lived under bridges."

The troll frowned.

"Why would I wanna live under a bridge where it's all soggy and smelly."

It was surprising to hear the troll talk about bad odours, for he had a horrendous stench that almost made Sarah lose her consciousness when he raised his arm a little. "You're one of those girls who reads too many books aren't you?"

"Erm…I suppose. What are you doing there?" she asked noticing that he was brewing some kind of tonic in a large pot.

"Oh err...I'm just making me self a drink, that's all. Stop being nosy!" he shouted.

"Oh okay well I'll leave you alone then. Nice to meet you" she said as she turned her back on him.

"Wait!" said the troll as Sarah felt his craggy hand clutch her shoulder. "Drink?" he said as he held a cup of the tonic up to her face. It was green in colour and it didn't smell very pleasant.

"No, it's alright I'm not thirsty" said Sarah.

"Oh go on! You'll hurt my feelings if you don't" said the troll.

Sarah hesitated but eventually took the beaker from him. He watched with a slight smile on his face as she guzzled down the green liquid. From her disgusted expression it obviously tasted repulsive but she managed to show him a slight smile nevertheless.

"Thanks" she said as she wiped the juice from her mouth. "I have to get going now. See you" she said before leaving the tree. The troll mumbled something under his breath then turned his back to her without even saying goodbye.

But as Sarah walked away from the troll's residence she failed to notice the two words etched onto the cooking pot - _love potion_.

* * *

Sarah browsed the enchanting woodland she'd been living in. Sure it was beautiful but she expected a little more motion. Even the troll didn't seem interested in challenging her. Sarah knew that the more she spent time in the forest, the less the fascination of it stayed with her. She knew that the other areas of the Labyrinth probably contained much more excitement. Looking further ahead she could see the main body of the Labyrinth. Even further than that was the Goblin City which enclosed the one and only castle, home to Jareth. He told her that all of that area was forbidden, but one thing about Sarah was that if anyone prohibited her from anything she'd want it even more. That's how she winded up in the Labyrinth in the first place. Sarah remembered a movie she watched a while back; Beauty and The Beast. Belle entered the West Wing even though she was forbidden from it. At the end of the movie Belle ended up getting everything she ever wanted. That was when Sarah decided, she was Belle and Jareth was the beast who needed to be tamed. Not that she expected he'd fall in love with her after trespassing in his castle. She didn't even want him to fall in love with her. But she couldn't deny that she was fascinated with him. Who wouldn't be? He was the only other being that was of her species, or at least resembled her species and she wasn't allowed to see him. 

When she approached the Goblin City she was surprised as to how quiet it was. The gate wasn't even guarded and the mammoth-sized giant that she had to face last time didn't even decide to strike upon her. The main city was just as silent. She half-expected to get caught in the midst of a silly goblin battle like she had experienced before but there wasn't one single goblin in sight. Nevertheless, she leisurely paced through the small goblin town, examining every nook and cranny, her eyes looking somewhat glazed like she wasn't really aware of what she was doing. She didn't even think about what trouble she was going to get in as she gawped at Jareth's castle. It was almost like she was being drawn to it by some indefinite force. For a second time she gazed up at the castle, only this time she gasped in surprise when her eyes met with the Goblin Kings'. He was looking down at her from a ledge that sat at the top of his castle and he was stunned to see that Sarah didn't hesitate to carry on walking towards his fortress. In fact, now that she had seen him she appeared to be even more determined to get up to him.

She entered the main doors to the castle and walked straight through the throne room without even stopping to look at anything else. It was like she was in some kind of trance. Then she walked up the stairs and came across the room in which she had found her brother in years ago. Last time she had to surmount a maze of stairs which were scattered in every direction imaginable. Well, the stairs were still there, but this time they curved round to form a spiral of steps which led all the way up to the pinnacle of the castle. It was a long way up but Sarah immediately began to climb them. Up she went as the stairs coiled round and round. They never seemed to end! Looking up and down she could see nothing but a black fog which contrasted with the sandy colour of the stairs. She walked on and on without hesitating as if she knew exactly where she was going, her eyes fixated on her destination.

When she finally reached the top of the stairs she found herself to be in a small empty room which contained nothing but the window ledge that Jareth had only just been looking out of. Where was Jareth? He had been here when she looked up from the bottom of the castle. She didn't know why but ever since she saw him just a few moments ago she felt like she needed to go to him. Her eyes grew wide with panic as she gazed around to try and locate him. There was no other way out of the room so where could he have gone. She ran over to the ledge and looked down. She could see the entire Goblin City, still as quiet as before.

She continued staring out of the ledge when Jareth appeared out of nowhere and stood far behind her. For a moment he watched her with a puzzled expression. He seemed a little nervous, like he didn't know what to say to her. Then he realised he didn't have to say anything because a few seconds later she sensed his presence. Slowly she turned around to face him.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to those who have reviewed so far. Keep 'em coming._

_Next chapter False Love_


	4. False Love

**Chapter Four: False Love**

They both stared at each other but with different gazes. His was a slight scowl, hers was a look of longing.

"Did you not hear my warning about you being in my castle?" Jareth asked sternly. She did not answer. She appeared to be too preoccupied with staring at him, like she was under a spell. This made him more irritated. He walked a little closer. "Answer me!" he shouted. This startled her a little so she decided to speak.

"I couldn't keep away" she said in a soft voice. Jareth raised his left eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked sharply.

"I…I don't know" she said, frowning with confusion.

Jareth examined her odd behaviour for a moment. He knew something wasn't quite right.

"Sarah, did you drink anything today? Anything peculiar" Jareth asked.

"Yes I did. A troll gave it to me just a moment ago. It tasted funny" she said, still in a quiet, zombie-like tone. It was clear she was in some kind of daze.

"I see" said Jareth who gave a little smirk and began to pace around her. He gazed her up and down and then came back up to meet with her eyes. "So, how have you enjoyed living in my Labyrinth so far? Still missing home?" he asked.

"No. I never want to go home" she said. "If I went home, you wouldn't be there."

"And that would be a pity wouldn't it?" he said in a sultry voice as he moved closer towards her.

"Yes it would" she said closing her eyes as she inhaled in his alluring presence.

Their faces were almost touching as Sarah leaned forward towards Jareth. It was strange! There had never been any kind of strong feelings between them before but Sarah's forwardness seemed to appeal to Jareth, especially since he knew that it wasn't really her. This way he could take advantage of her without her being reluctant for him to do so. 'What harm could it do?' he thought. She wanted to. He wanted to. And there would be no bad consequences after because Sarah would go back to being the normal her.

"You won't blame me for whatever happens will you Sarah?" he asked devilishly.

"Of course I won't" she said as she gravitated towards him and embraced his lips in a passionate kiss. Then he took control and held her close as the kiss grew more intense. Sarah sighed as her false desire became fulfilled.

* * *

Back at Hoggle's hut, Ludo arrived bringing firewood with him. The giant knocked on the door. 

"Hoggle?…Sarah?" he said.

No one was home. Ludo pushed open the door. It was only big enough for his head to fit through. He dropped the firewood and gazed around. Nobody was in.

"Sarah gone" he said shaking his head. "Ludo go look for Sarah."

So Ludo began to walk through the forest and call out for his friend. As he made his way through the woodland he was sure that he could hear someone calling him from down below.

"Pssst" came a sound that seemed to come from the red and white toadstool on the ground.

Hoggle looked down.

"Huh?" he said. He couldn't see anything. After scratching his head for almost a minute he decided that he had just imagined the voice. Then just as he was about to turn back around he noticed a little head poked out of the toadstool.

"Pssst. Ludo" said the talking gnome in a squeaky voice. Ludo bent down and moved his face closer towards him to take a better look. "Ludo. I know where she is" he said. As he spoke he kept on looking around nervously. Ludo tilted his head, not quite understanding what he was saying. "The girl…Sarah!" the gnome said.

"Sarah?!" Ludo said excitedly.

The shy litlle gnome withdrew back into his toadstool when Ludo raised his voice too loudly. To save Ludo from another minute of head-scratching the gnome came back out.

"I watched her through the tree. She was heading straight toward Jareth's castle."

"That's bad" said Ludo.

"Well then go. Go save her before it's too late."

And with that, the gnome disappeared. Ludo stood looking confused for a moment but then grasped onto what he had to do. He walked straight towards the Goblin City and knew that he wouldn't return until he knew Sarah was safe.

Unlike Sarah, it took Ludo forever to get through the Goblin City. Unfortunately, the goblins had emerged and the poor beast had to endure yet another battle just because he wanted to find his missing friend. Some of the goblins charged at him and began to pound him with their little fists. Ludo would have been able to toss away one goblin easily but whole bunch of them was much trickier. A bit further away two other goblins were loading up some sort of cannon which they were planning to fire at him. The others stepped back as they attempted to fire the cannon at Ludo but luckily a more stupid goblin dived onto the beast just before and unintentionally took the bullet for him. He exploded into the air and as the others were trying to help him Ludo finally managed to slip away and head straight for the castle.

* * *

The creaking of the door woke her from her deep slumber. Her eyelids began to open. From the first few blinks everything seemed hazy. Still drowsy she began to sit up, not really knowing where she was. As soon as things started to come into focus she began to feel uneasy. Why was she lying in a bed. Not like the dilapidated, musty bed that she slept on in Haggle's hut, but a bed made for a king! It had silk maroon-coloured sheets stitched with gold embroidery and golden pillows which were ultra-soft. No wonder she'd been asleep for so long. The bed was so comfy! Then Sarah realised, this wasn't a bed made for any king. It was a bed made for a Goblin King! 

What was she doing in Jareth's bed? She couldn't remember coming to the castle. Was it a trick? Did her bring her here? Whatever she was doing she had to get out before he came back. She looked down at herself. Phew! Still had clothes on. So that surely meant that nothing had happened.

'Nothing happened, nothing happened' she kept thinking to herself.

Her clothes hadn't been removed all night so nothing could have possibly happened. But then again, back when she first came to the Labyrinth her dress had magically changed into a ball gown without the need for undressing.

'No! Nothing happened and that's that!' she told herself.

She looked around the room. It was small but cosy and had carvings and statues of many different legendary creatures; goblins, gremlins, unicorns…all which were probably located somewhere in the Labyrinth. As she turned to face the door she began to feel more embarrassed than she had already felt. It was enough to be stared at while she was in somebody's bed, but this was Jareth's bed! And he was one of her best friends!

"Ludo!" she gasped. The beast didn't quite know where to look. "Ludo, it's not what you think. I don't even know what I'm doing here" she said nervously.

"Sarah…sleep" said Ludo.

"Yes, yes. That's all, I fell asleep" she said with urgency.

"You sleep more" said Ludo as he was about to leave.

"No, no! I don't need to sleep anymore!" she cried as she leaped out of the bed. "Let's just go okay!"

They both rushed out of the door. Sarah and Ludo then found themselves standing in a dark narrow corridor with a hint of light coming from the far end of it. Sarah took her friends' hand and led him slowly down the passageway. She bit her lip and squinted her eyes as she leisurely opened the small brown door at the end. A sigh of relief struck upon her when she entered the throne room where Jareth or his goblins were nowhere in sight. The last thing she wanted to do was see _him_ right now, whether he knew about her presence in his castle or not.

"Quickly" she told Ludo as they both raced out of the castle and down the now quiet streets of the Goblin City.

* * *

When they arrived at the hut, Hoggle was standing outside of the door looking worried. When he saw Sarah a rush of relief came over his face. 

"Where ya been?" he asked as he curiously watched Sarah race towards the hut with Ludo shambling behind her.

"I went out for a walk" she said breathlessly.

"A walk? You've been gone for hours" said Hoggle.

"Sarah sleeping. Sleeping in cas…" said Ludo.

"I fell asleep in the junkyard" she said quickly, interrupting Ludo so that he didn't get to finish his sentence. She clearly didn't want anyone else to know about her embarrassing situation.

"The junkyard. You're not s'ppose to be going that far". Hoggle sighed. "Well you better come inside. It's getting dark. You don't know what trouble you'll get yourself into if you start wondering around and falling asleep where you shouldn't."

Oh didn't she just know it.

* * *

Later at night Sir Didymus came over to keep Sarah company at the hut while Hoggle went out to look for food to eat in the morning. Since she had gone missing earlier he couldn't trust her to stay on her own. Hoggle knew very well about Sarah's curiosity and didn't want to take nay more chances. 

So Sir Didymus and Sarah made a small fire using the kindling that Ludo had been collected. They both huddled up to each other in the cramped hut and began to talk about the previous events.

"Ludo told me about what happened my lady. He said that you were sleeping…in Jareth's bed. Is it true?" asked Sir Didymus.

Sarah felt annoyed that Ludo would tell anyone else about that uncomfortable incident but she knew that she couldn't blame him. He didn't know how she felt about it. All he ever did was try to help.

"I don't even know what happened Sir Didymus. One minute I was inside a tree talking to a strange troll, and then the next minute I woke up in Jareth's bed. Between that it was all a blur. I think I can remember running up a tower of stairs but that's about it!…It's crazy! How can I not remember?"

"Alfred" said Sir Didymus.

"What?" asked Sarah.

"You must have seen Alfred my lady. Well that explains it all. When you saw this troll did he, by any chance offer you a drink?" asked the fox.

"Yes. It was a horrible green slimy liquid. I didn't want to drink it but he seemed persistent. It had sickening taste though. Do you know what this drink was Sir Didymus?"

"I'm afraid I do. It was a love potion my lady, made to attract the first creature you see, apart from Alfred himself, of course."

"I can't believe it!" Sarah said feeling sick of the thought that she was made to fall in love with someone while she unaware of what was going on.

"Nor can I" said the fox. "But I can't understand why a troll would want to do that to you."

"Oh I can. He was put up to it" said Sarah undoubtedly.

"By who?" asked Sir Didymus.

"I'll give you one guess" said Sarah who looking at the fox and gave him a nod.

"But…but Jareth didn't even want to see you. Why would he make Alfred give you a love potion to entice you when he told you to stay away from him?"

"I don't know….Let's go and find out" she said as she stood up with anger and determination.

"You're going to confront Jareth?"

No, I don't think I'll ever be ready to face him again. I'm going to ask the troll why Jareth put him up to this. Come on Sir Didymus" Sarah said as they walked out of the hut and headed towards the large tree.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alfred the troll was already preoccupied with talking to someone else inside his tree. 

"What are you talking about?! I gave it to her just like you told me to. Didn't it work?" said the troll who still spoke in his crotchety tone.

"No, it didn't. Are you sure you gave her the right potion?" said the being behind the scheme.

But it wasn't a Goblin King that stood before the troll. It was a small dwarf with a red hat and grey hair and who answers to the name of Hoggle!

"Hoggle I told you I gave it to her!" yelled the troll.

"Well then how come she didn't fall for me when she saw me earlier?" Hoggle asked.

"She must've seen somebody else before you"

"But who?" asked Hoggle.

"Well, if it isn't Hoghead" said a voice from behind him which made Hoggle jump out of his uneven skin.

"Jareth! What are you doing here?" asked Hoggle fearfully who cowered before his majestic ruler, now dressed in a bared-chested grey shirt and black breeches.

"Now now Hoggle. Do I, the Goblin King, need a reason for roaming about my own Labyrinth?"

"No o'course you don't, but why…" said Hoggle.

"Why what is this?" interrupted Jareth mockingly, who caught sight of the troll and the mixture of green potion.

"This is my love potion" said Alfred, much to Hoggle's displeasure. "The dwarf he told me to make it for the young lady. Only she didn't see Hoggle. Now we're trying to figure out who she saw".

"Really? Well I didn't realise you had such strong feelings for Sarah Hoggle. It's just a shame that someone else got there first" he said before he gave him an evil smirk.

"It was you weren't it" said Hoggle. "She saw you first."

Jareth's smile grew wider.

"Don't look so sad Hoggle. I'm sure you'll find another ugly little dwarf to love someday."

Hoggle felt hurt, angry and crushed. He usually tolerated Jareth's torment but this was too much for him to take. He ran out of the tree as Jareth laughed after him. He didn't get very far though. Sarah and Sir Didymus had arrived at the trolls home and were almost knocked over by Hoggle's speedy pace.

"Hoggle!" cried Sarah as she bent down and clutched the dwarf's arms so he couldn't escape. "What's the matter?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.

He kept quiet but then she saw Jareth walking towards them with his malevolent grin. Suddenly, feeling very awkward she slowly stood up to face the Goblin King who she possibly could have had a passionate encounter with earlier.

"O' dear" muttered Hoggle as he realised the seriousness of what he had done to the two.

"Oh it's such a pity to spoil your lovely face with that menacing scowl" said Jareth who noticed that Sarah was more than unhappy about seeing him.

"You…you…obnoxious creep!" yelled Sarah. "How dare you trick me like that, ordering the troll to spellbind me just so you can use me in your twisted games!"

"Sarah, I did nothing of the sort. I never told the troll do anything to you" said Jareth. Hoggle watched on guiltily, hoping that he was surreptitious to the whole ordeal.

"Don't make me think that I did it consciously. I was in a trance and you know I was. You took advantage of me Jareth! Are you really that desperate!?" Sarah asked.

"How dare you defy me! I wouldn't flatter myself into certainty if I were you Sarah. You may expect this kind of thing from me but would you really expect it from one of your closest friends!" shouted Jareth.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sarah.

"Why don't you ask Hoggle" said Jareth.

Sarah turned to face her friend who was trying to hide his face from her sight. Sarah looked at him feeling worried and confused. But would Hoggle tell her the truth?

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I would have updated three days ago but I lost my memory... stick and that's where I store this story. I've only just found it in a pile of clean washing - turns out that my memory stick had been washed and dried and it still works!!! Anyway keep reviewing and I'll keep updating_ : - P 

_Next chapter - Lost Love_


	5. Lost Love

**Chapter Five: Lost Love**

"Hoggle, what does he mean?" Sarah asked.

"I'm sorry Sarah. I don't expect you to forgive me" he said.

"Hoggle tell me" she said anxiously.

He took his hands away from his head and looked up to face her. But the hopeful anticipation in her eyes was too much for him to confront. He bowed his head and began to reveal the truth.

"It was me. I told him to give you the drink" he said mellifluously.

"But why Hoggle?" she asked.

Hoggle didn't answer.

"Not saying Hoggle?" Jareth said scornfully. "Oh you might as well expose yourself now". Hoggle still stood with his head bowed down as Jareth gloated. "No?" he continued. "Well, I'll tell her then. This here dwarf is in love with you Sarah. He has been from the day you first came here. Why do you think he let you come here so easily when you asked him? He knew that I'd make you stay here forever and that was a great opportunity for him to make you fall in love with him. Hah? Imagine that. A dwarf marrying a human. It's almost nauseating to think about."

"Stop it!" yelled Sarah as she watched Hoggle flee from their sight with shame. She tried to call after him but she knew that the poor dwarf felt much too humiliated to confront her. She turned to face Jareth who was still laughing. "You disgust me" she said before she ran off to chase after Hoggle.

As soon as she left Jareth stopped laughing and changed to a look of longing, watching Sarah regretfully as she moved further and further away from him.

* * *

"Hoggle! Hoggle!" Sarah shouted as she ran through the grassy twists and turns of the complicated forest. The sky was dark so it was hard to see where she was going. Once or twice she had tripped over a trig or branch. It had been over half an hour since Hoggle's shocking revelation and she still hadn't found him. Maybe he'd gone back to the hut? He was too scared of the forest to go roaming about in the dark. 'Yes' she thought. She'd go back to the hut and check if he was there. 

But before she turned around to head back she noticed a small glowing light in the distance. Was it Hoggle with his lantern?

"Hoggle?" she shouted as she ran up to the light. "Stay there, I'm coming over to you."

She sprinted toward the lantern feeling relieved that she had finally found him. But it wasn't a dwarf that she encountered when she eventually reached the light. Instead, she screamed as she felt something collide into her eyes.

"Ouch" said a high-pitched voice. "Watch where you're going you stupid girl!"

Sarah looked in front of her and saw that there was a fairy sitting on her face trying to reorganize herself before flying into the air with her delicate see-through wings. The fairy was so beautiful for such a small creature. She had a green dress made out of leaves and short red hair. Her tiny face boasted beautiful long eyelashes which concealed her striking blue eyes. Her lips conveyed an arrogant pout but apart from that she was stunning. The shining light turned out to be the fairy's own natural glow. Sarah smiled as the fairy waited for an explanation.

"Well, are you going to tell my you so inelegantly almost killed me?". Her voice was so dainty for such an angry fairy.

"I'm really sorry. I thought you were someone else. I'm looking for my friend Hoggle. He's a dwarf. You haven't seen him have you?" Sarah asked.

"That ugly oaf. No I haven't."

"You know him?" asked Sarah.

"Of course I do. He's been living in the same forest as me for as long as I've been alive. He tried to spray me a couple of times in the past but that was back when he was mean. Ever since some girl told him not to spray us years ago he decided to give up his favourite hobby for good. I don't know who she was though which is strange because I know nearly all the creatures living in this Labyrinth and all of the stories that go with them. And since I don't know you I'm not going to trust you" she said before she childishly stuck out her tongue. The fairy turned her back and began to fly away.

"But that girl was me. I came here years ago and when I saw Hoggle spraying the fairies I told him it was a horrible thing to do" said Sarah.

"Really? Well he must have really thought a lot of you to give it up…My name's Elva by the way."

"Well hi. My name's Sarah"

"You know, Hoggle never usually comes out into these parts of the forest at this time of night. What's up with him?" said Elva.

"Well I'm afraid he's very upset at the moment. Jareth maliciously humiliated him in front of me. He revealed that Hoggle has feelings for me and now he's ran away. I'm scared that he'll do something terrible!"

"Nah, I doubt it. When it happened before he sulked for a while but eventually he went back to his repulsive, smelly, scabby self" Elva said.

"What do you mean before?"asked Sarah, ignoring her malicious remark.

The fairy gave Sarah a concentrated look for a second.

"Don't you know about Helga? The love of Hoggle's life". Sarah gazed in amazement. "She was a dwarf, the only other dwarf who lived in the Labyrinth years ago. Back then Hoggle was much less crabby. He would do anything for her; make her favourite meals, tend to her when she was ill. He was head over heels in love with her. King Jareth used to laugh at them and make a few snide remarks but generally he left them alone. All of the other creatures were extremely jealous of their love, even me! But then one day the Labyrinth was struck with a horrible storm that lasted for days and days. It was so bad that no one would come out of their homes and then…"

"Then what? What happened Elva?" asked Sarah who was now intrigued by the tale.

"Hoggle told her to leave it but she just wouldn't…" she continued, her voice getting more animated. "You see Hoggle had given Helga gold necklace for one of their anniversary's. It was the finest gift he had ever given her. If you know Hoggle, you know how bolshie he is about his jewels. Anyway, she cherished the necklace dearly, but when the storm was at its peak it blew the pendant out of the window of Hoggle's cabin. Helga ran outside to catch it even though Hoggle begged for her to come back. She ran and ran until she finally caught it but by then it was too late…the hundreds of tornados that were spinning vigorously in the air had already swept her away. A few days later the storm had cleared and replaced with a radiant sunshine. But the beauty of the sky couldn't erase the devastation on Hoggle's face when he found his soulmates' body. People didn't know whether to cheer for the disappearance of the storm or weep for the loss of Hoggle's only true love. She didn't even manage to keep hold of the necklace."

"That's heartbreaking" said Sarah as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Hmmm, and it looks like it's happening again" said Elva.

Sarah felt a mixture of feelings; sadness, guilt, anger. How could Hoggle not have told her about this? Everytime she had teased him about being incapable of affection in the past, he must have been aching inside, being reminded of all of the love he had lost. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him but she couldn't have a relationship with a dwarf just to save his feelings. Could she?

_

* * *

_Later that night, Sarah went back to the hut. Hoggle wasn't there. He obviously didn't want to be looked for. Even if she did find him she wouldn't know what she would say. But she had to clear the guilt in her mind somehow so she decided to go over to the castle and confront Jareth. He knew all about what Hoggle had been through and he still too the chance to humiliate him. 

It must have been the early hours of the morning but Sarah didn't care if Jareth was sleeping. She would wait until he had awoken and she would not leave until she had gotten him to locate Hoggle and made him apologize for sneering at him. It would take some work but Sarah was too angry to be intimidated.

She paced through the Goblin City which was just as quiet as it was earlier. She hesitated a little before she went into the castle but eventually she plucked up the courage to enter it.

Barging open the castle doors Sarah was surprised to see that Jareth was alone, sitting on his thrown fiddling with his crystals. He had changed into a cream-coloured ensemble half made up of owl feathers. He looked startled when he saw Sarah. He just knew from her livid expression that she had come for another dispute.

"How could you humiliate Hoggle like that, after all he's been through!" Sarah shouted.

Jareth rolled his eyes, then stood up to respond to her interrogations.

"Because that's the way it works! I lay down the rules and he does whatever I say. Come now Sarah, if I suddenly start going soft on Hogwart or any of the other creatures for that matter, then this Labyrinth will turn to an frenzied circus!"

"I don't care about your stupid Labyrinth. Hoggle doesn't deserve this!" Sarah yelled hysterically. "He's been one of the nicest friends I've ever had and right now he feels like he has nothing to live for! I have no idea where he is! And it's not fair, it's just not far!!"

Sarah began to weep with tears in a rush of frustration. Her fists couldn't help but thump the walls of the throne room. Jareth looked on a little concerned. He had always thought she was a composed and together sort of girl but her aggravation showed that she clearly had a deeper side.

"Sarah settle down!" he demanded as he walked over to her and held her arms down. She was too frustrated to object to his actions. Without Sarah knowing Jareth had signalled something to one of the goblins that had come in to see what all the upheaval was about. The goblin then went away.

"Settle down? How can I? Everything's in such a mess. I should never have come here in the first place!"

Jareth walked Sarah over to a small wooden stump that the goblins must have used to sit on. He sat her down then walked back a few steps to observe her.

"Hoggle has been dwelling in this Labyrinth for decades. Yes, sometimes he gets cranky but he soon recovers."

"But he looked crushed. I'm afraid he might do something stupid!"

"Well if it'll console your feelings then I'll alert the guards to be on the lookout for a suicidal dwarf" he said sarcastically to which Sarah gave him a stern glare showing that she was not impressed.

"I'm being serious. I've never seen him so mortified! He's never ran out in the dark on his own before. What if he's out there and one of your weird creatures had eaten him. Oh, why did I have mislead him. I should have made it clear that I loved him as a friend and nothing more!" complained Sarah.

"Sarah it's not your fault" Jareth said, softening his voice down a little, seeing how distressed she was.

"I know. It's yours!" she snapped. Jareth frowned a little but didn't retaliate. "Why do you always taunt him Jareth? Isn't it enough to know that he's mourning for his dead true love every single day of his life?" asked Sarah.

"Ah, so you know about Helga then do you…Look Sarah, all individuals have problems Sarah. Time doesn't stop just because someone loses somebody. You're a clever girl. You should know that. When you lost your brother you had to deal with it didn't you. Nobody tiptoed around your feelings. That's just the way life works, even for creatures in the Labyrinth, Besides, that was over ten years ago. Hoggle has grieved all he can for her."

"Maybe he hasn't. Maybe he's still grieving for her inside but won't show it" said Sarah.

"Or maybe he's turned his attention over to somebody else now…. Maybe Sarah, you can give him the love he still yearns for."

He said this with a straight face but Sarah just knew he was pulling a scornful smirk underneath.

"You know that's impossible. I don't love him in that way. Besides, I could never fall in love with a dwarf. He's of a completely different species. It just wouldn't work."

"It isn't completely unfeasible to fall in love with someone of a different species you know Sarah" said Jareth. "Not if you really, really loved them. You can't say that you could never fall in love with somebody just because they're a little different, could you?"

"Well I suppose not" she said not really sensing what he was really saying. "But like I said, I don't have those type of feelings for him. I just want him to be safe. I'm so worried."

Jareth walked closer to her. He hesitated for a moment but then he gently placed his gloved hand on her face and began to wipe away her tears. She looked up at him and for a second they gazed into each others' eyes, sharing a compassionate bond just for a moment to say that even though they had their differences they still understood each other. Jareth then removed his gaze and quickly stepped away from her, almost as if her eyes had hypnotising powers and if he looked in them too long the deep pools of hazel would overpower him and cause him to lose his authority.

"I'll send the goblins out to look for him if it'll make you feel better" he said austerely.

"Yes it would."

"You look like you need to rest" he said.

"Yes. Yes you're probably right. I'll go back to Hoggle's hut and then I'll know if he returns."

Sarah stood up and walked over to the main doors. But when she opened them she was stunned to see that the Goblin City had turned into a battle zone. What was before a silent metropolis now was filled with riots, cannonballs, and blazing fires. It looked much harsher than the last goblin battle she had witnessed. Even the giant metal guard at the door had surfaced. Everytime it moved the whole ground shook. It would be impossible for Sarah to make it out of their alive especially now she was alone.

"I try to control them but sooner or later they always end up in a battle" said Jareth who unknowingly had walked up to stand right behind Sarah. She turned around to face him.

"You mean this happens all the time?"

"Oh yes, almost every week" he said calmly.

"But how am I going to get home?!" she asked.

"My my that is a tricky one isn't it. Even I can't stop this battle and usually a large one like this usually lasts for most of the night. It gets even worse when they manage to break into the ale. Well, I suppose you could always sneak into one of the goblin's houses when the war quietens down. That is, if you don't mind listening to a bunch of intoxicated goblins chanting drunken songs all night". From her disgusted look he could tell she wasn't pleased with his suggestion. "No? I thought that was just your style. Well, the only other option is to stay at the castle" said Jareth.

Sarah looked at him nervously. He could tell what was bothering her.

"You'll sleep in the spare room of course" he said. "I can assure you that you will not be waking in up oblivious to where you are and unaware of what you had previously done" he said with a slight smirk.

"I just can't believe that it happened" she said. Jareth lifted his brow. "I woke up not remembering anything and well, in a way I was kind of glad that I couldn't remember."

"Then you'll be happy to know that nothing did happen!" he snapped.

"Really? Well then why did I wake up in your bed?"

"How should I know!" he yelled grouchily. "Now stop asking questions. You will stay in this room until it's night. Then I will send someone to accompany you to a room where you will sleep for the night" he said before he began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't just leave me here. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to eat? What if I need to…" Sarah demanded.

"The goblins will sort that out for you" he interrupted with a hint of mockery in his voice. And with that, he disappeared.

* * *

_Author's Note: So there you have it; Hoggle's past is revealed - well, at least for this story anyway. Tanks for reviews as always - more pleaase!!_ :-D 

_Next chapter - Romantic Love_


	6. Romantic Love

**Chapter Six: Romantic Love**

For the next few hours Sarah sat in the throne room on the little stump. She didn't have the nerve to go and sit on the throne because she was scared of what the goblins might think or do to her. At least twenty goblins must have came into the throne room but when she went to look outside she could see that the battle was still in full swing and still too dangerous to go out in.

The goblins didn't seem to pay one bit of attention to her needs. At first she tried to speak to them nicely and tell them that she was a little hungry so could one of them get food for her. She saw a few goblins look around but they only turned back and sniggered to themselves. She then raised her voice a little but it appeared that the louder she spoke the more they tried to ignore her with one of their foolish games. She eventually she lost her patience and began to shout at them.

"I command that you bring me some food now! Jareth commands that you do so!"

Still, nothing. Sarah screwed up her face.

"That's it!" she screamed as she marched over to the nearest goblin. This time it turned around and looked a little scared when he saw her cross expression. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck and looked the ugly creature in his eyes.

"If you don't tell me where I can get some food right now I will not be sorry for my actions!!"

Sarah waited a minute. The goblin looked like he was going to give in and say something. He slowly opened his mouth as Sarah and all of the others watched in anticipation. She thought her forcefulness had finally made them listen but at that moment the goblin let out a great big belch that swathed her face. The foul stench that emitted from the goblins breath caused her to drop him on floor. The other goblins then burst into an array of laughter. Sarah screamed. How did Jareth cope with these mangy creatures everyday of his life? She ran into the crowd of laughing animals and began to kick and yell at each one of them. Undoubtedly, they fought back and started to gnaw at her legs. She shrieked and booted them away. Eventually it sprung out into a full goblin fight. Sarah picked the goblins up and began to throw them around. To her dismay they actually seemed to be enjoying it so she became even more aggressive by punching them in the face. She was so intent on destroying all of them that she didn't even notice the owl that flew through the small window. It flew gracefully over to the throne and perched itself on the seat where it then magically transformed into the Goblin King himself. He laughed to himself as he watched Sarah frantically chuck about his shabby goblins. A few of them finally looked around to see there master and immediately stopped what they were doing. He must have set certain rules regarding the goblins and one of them must have been to not attack guests. The few goblins nudged the others until they were all looking around at him apart from Sarah. She saw that they had stopped fighting so she followed there gaze until she finally saw the Goblin King.

"Jareth" she gasped, feeling shocked and a little embarrassed about brawling with the goblins. It wasn't like her to lose composure like that. Being in the Labyrinth for too long was making her become a little too agitated.

"Don't stop. I was rather enjoying that performance" mocked Jareth.

"It wasn't a performance. They wouldn't listen to me!" she yelled. Sarah couldn't help but wonder where Jareth had been. Had he gone to look for Hoggle?

"And there I was hoping you would all break out into a song and dance routine" he said as he laughed.

"It's not funny" Sarah said, but she couldn't help the corners of her mouth which twitched up into a smile. It was the first time Jareth had ever seen her smile. It was such a surprise to him but he rather liked the fact that Sarah was becoming more comfortable with him. Most likely, he hadn't had company like hers for a very lone time. Of course, they still loathed each other but at least now they could do it without feeling like the other one should be shunned away from their world forever.

* * *

Later that night, Sarah was shown by a larger, more intelligent goblin to a small corridor with a brown, rusty door. It looked like the door hadn't been opened in decades because it had been claimed by tons of cobwebs and all of the frighteningly large spiders that dwelled in them. The goblin tried to fend off all of the spiders as Sarah flinched and yelped. 

"They're only spiders. There are far worse things in the Labyrinth than these harmless creatures" said the large goblin. "Now if I could just get this key in the hole" he said as he fiddled with the door which gave Sarah a chance to look around.

She remembered this little hallway from when she ran out of Jareth's bedroom yesterday. His room was only a couple of yards away. She couldn't help but speculate about him. What time did he go to sleep? Do Goblin King's even need sleep? Did he carry out ordinary human tasks like brushing his teeth and washing his face? What did he wear in bed?…She then shook her head and thought that it was best to not wonder too much.

"Ah…done it. Here you are then" said the goblin as he pushed the creaking door open to reveal what looked more like the inside of a cave rather than a bedroom.

The walls were made of dark stone so that every noise Sarah made created a ghostly echo. All the room was made up of was a bed and a chest of drawers which Sarah didn't even want to look in. There was another door that lead into a bathroom which contained a poorly maintained toilet and sink.

"I'll leave you to it" said the goblin.

There was nothing for Sarah to do but sleep so she lay down on the bed and let her eyes wander around the creepy room. This bedroom one was not like Jareth's at all. It had a gloomy aura which was accompanied by soft chilling winds and howls that seemed to be only heard from this very bedroom even though there was no window for the sounds to come from. When she had woken up in Jareth's chamber, sure she felt bemused, but somewhere in the back of her mind she felt comforted by the snug and cosy bed she was lounged in. On this bed however, she was taken aback by the stiffness of the mattress. It felt as hard as rock. What's more, a few of the springs had sprung out and stuck into her so it felt like she was lying on a bed of nails. She was sure that Jareth had given her this room on purpose, maybe to say that only his room was worth being in, only his bed should be lied in. If he was any kind of gentleman he would have at least made some of his servants spruce the room up a little first. What kind of man would allow a woman to sleep in such a room?

* * *

An hour later and Sarah found that she couldn't sleep. The constant dripping sound coming from of the pipe in the bathroom aggravated her too much. Also, she felt too excited to sleep. For years she had wondered about this castle and now she was inside of it with permission. How could she not leave the room and explore it? 

She got up from the inflexible bed without much trouble and crept over to the door. She hoped that it's high-pitched creak did not wake anyone up. Once she was out in the hallway she saw that she could either go right or left. To the right was Jareth's bedroom and to the left was the way to the throne room. She chose to go right. Walking very quietly she made her way to the outside of his door. She couldn't hear anything when she pressed her head to it. So many questions ran through her head. She wanted to know more about him, more about his past and more about the Goblin King species. She hovered by his door for a moment, almost tempted to open it and peek through it, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to explain herself if Jareth was awake and had caught her. So she turned back round and walked over to the left end of the corridor.

Then, she entered a small foyer that either lead to the throne room or some stairs she hadn't noticed before. Sarah being Sarah decided to climb the stairs. When she reached the top she noticed a door and as she pushed it open she was surprised to find herself standing on a balcony situated at the top back-side of the castle. It didn't have any barriers so she had to be careful not to step too close to the edge. Looking up she could see the spire of the castle and looking down she could see that she was standing on the brownish rock-type material that the castle was made of. Then when she looked out into the distance she was taken aback to the delightful view that surrounded her. In front of her she could see miles and miles of labyrinth stretched out as far as her eyes would take her. It was much bigger than she thought and this was only the back of it! There were so many secrets, so many adventures and journey's that she could be taken on. What other strange creatures lurked behind the stone walls? Was there anyone else like Jareth, anyone who he could talk to? Sarah walked forward a little to see the whole stretch of the balcony. She had become so preoccupied with looking at the view that she hadn't seen that at the very far end of the balcony a small ledge extended out from the castle, a place where Jareth probably came to sit and admire his world.

Wait a minute! Jareth was there! He actually was sitting on the ledge looking out into the Labyrinth right before her staggered eyes. He didn't look swollen with pride though. His expression was more melancholy than it was conceited. He sat with one knee bent and his other leg stretched out as he watched over his Labyrinth like a lion would watch over his kingdom. She observed him for a moment as he stared out into the gigantic maze. He looked as if he was longing for something. But what was it? Sarah knew she couldn't stay and intrude so she slowly made her way back to the door.

"You can stay if you like" he said, still with his back turned to her. His voice made Sarah jump but she was half-glad that he knew she was there. She hesitantly walked over to the ledge and stood behind him. "I should have known that you wouldn't want to stay in that room" he said with a more laid-back tone.

"Can you blame me?" she said seriously, but he laughed.

"Do you come up here often?" she asked after a while of silence.

"As often as I need to" he replied, not giving away anything.

"It must get so lonely here" she said sympathetically as she gazed out into the great beyond.

Jareth looked back at her bemused as to why she was being so compassionate. He was only used to dealing with creatures who lied, cheated and showed little or no compassion at all.

"It's not all that bad" he answered. "There are feasts, live puppet shows, masquerades and that's just the non-magic side of it."

"Masquerade's? Like the one I…I mean…" she said, not quite wanting to finish her sentence. And remind herself of that time.

"Yes that was a rather glorious ball wasn't it. Just a shame that you didn't stay to enjoy it" said Jareth.

"I had my brother to rescue!" she snapped.

"True" he said as if he had hardly remembered Toby's capture.

"Besides I didn't exactly fit in there did I. How could I possibly have enjoyed it when all those weird-looking people were staring and laughing at me? I mean, it was a magnificent ball and all but there was no way I could have carried on dancing with the situation I was in."

When she had finished speaking she saw that Jareth had stood up without her noticing. Then she heard faint smooth music drifting towards her ears. She looked curiously at Jareth. He smiled a little.

"Well why don't we finish our dance now then" Jareth said holding out his hand.

She fixed your eyes on his hand for a moment, then looked up so that her eyes met with his, knitting her brow as she did. She knew what he was doing. He was playing mind games with her, just like Hoggle said. He saw her unwillingness.

"Sarah what are you so afraid of? It's just a dance" said Jareth.

"Oh is it? The last time I heard this song I was drugged by a peach!"

"I see no peaches around. Honestly Sarah, I would have no use for drugging you. You're not searching for your brother are you? So I will not be needing to stall you. That's all was doing, stalling you."

"Is it?" she questioned.

"Come now Sarah, I'm not insinuating anything other than a mere dance. It won't lead to anything else, I'm sure of that…unless" he said looking at her shadily "unless you're scared that you might not be able to trust _yourself."_

"Don't be ridiculous!" she scoffed.

"Well then. What are you so concerned about. You should not be so distrustful of everything that presents itself in front of you " he said.

"Well I learnt that in the Labyrinth nothing is what it seems and being naïve causes you to make decisions that you may later regret…I trusted you not to take my childish wishes and dreams too seriously, but still you took my brother away knowing that I didn't really want you to. So I don't think I should really begin to trust you now."

"As you wish" he said putting his hand back down. But as soon as he did Sarah began to regret being too rash.

"Although, in saying that…I think that now I am wise enough to not be fooled into any tricks you may or may not be planning. So, I will dance with you" she said.

She took his hand and he began to move her across the balcony floor. Only something was troubling Sarah. They stopped dancing and Sarah began to laugh.

"What's so funny" he asked.

"No, well it's just…I hardly think I'm dressed for dancing" she said.

"Oh aren't you he asked" with a devilish tone.

Sarah gazed down at her clothes. She looked in astonishment when she saw that her ragged jeans and worn-out sweater had been replaced with a magnificent gown. It was much more elegant than the inflated one she had worn before. This was a woman's gown made of blue velvet. Jareth was already dressed in a suave black ensemble and looked more handsome than she had ever seen him before. His eyes glistened as the music began to grow stronger. She recognised the melody. It was the song! The song that had enchanted her when she was just a child. Jareth placed one of his hands in her and put the other around her waist. He swept her around the balcony floor with the rhythm of the music. At first she was scared that they were going to fall off but his tight hold on her reassured her. She felt a little uncomfortable dancing so close to him but the beauty of the stars in the sky hypnotized her into a state of bliss as he sang to her.

* * *

_Author's Note: It's just a circle living it's life, oh just a circle on a big stride within your thighs, I'll place the lies within your thighs - the misheard lyrics to As The World Falls Down which I found on some website..._

_Reviews please x_

_Next chapter - Drunken Love_


	7. Drunken Love

**Chapter Seven: Drunken Love**

_As the pain sweeps through makes no sense for you. E__very thrill has gone, wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for_ _you-ou-ou as the world falls down, falling, falling, falling in love._

His yearning words put her in deep thought. She couldn't help but wonder what the song meant. Surely it was nothing personal? The Goblin King hadn't really been falling in love with her had he? The fascination of his charming expression held her spellbound in his arms. He too was enthralled by her beautiful face. She still kept her youth even though she was no longer a child. Probably one of her greatest assets was her captivating eyes which seemed to draw Jareth closer and closer to her. Maybe Jareth was right. Maybe she couldn't trust herself. For some reason she couldn't stop staring into his eyes. His deep magic charm enchanted her, and she couldn't blame it on the peach this time. She knew what was coming next as they slowed down with the fading music. She knew it was wrong to kiss a Goblin King when she hardly knew anything about him but she couldn't help herself. The moment their lips pressed together in a fervent embrace she couldn't tear herself away. She never knew a kiss could be so breathtaking. Maybe it was the fact that he had special powers to make everything seem more rousing, or maybe it was simply because he was supposed to be her enemy and that made him a forbidden fruit which she couldn't resist the taste of. One thing she knew was that she wouldn't let herself fall in too deep. After this kiss she would not let him take it any further but while it was happening she knew that all she cold do was enjoy it.

Now one single kiss doesn't usually mean that a couple suddenly become united forever in a compulsory bond. In fact, you can bet that tomorrow Sarah will probably regret she ever did it. But when someone else sees it. Someone who had wished for so long that she'd kiss him like that. That's when the kiss becomes more that it's supposed to.

Coincidence or not, Hoggle had come looking for Sarah and had walked through the balcony door just as she and Jareth shared their first passionate embrace. That was the moment his little aching heart broke in two. Hoggle knew about Jareth's charm and how he occasionally tried to seduce Sarah, but he never in a million years thought that she would actually fall for him! If there was a goblin to be felt sorry for Hoggle was the one. His sorrowful eyes gazed reluctantly at the girl he loved so dearly and the man who had stolen her from him. It was too much for him to take. He couldn't stay a moment longer. Hoggle ran back to the door and scampered out of the castle not knowing where he would go and what would happen to his life after this day.

Soon after he'd gone, Sarah pulled away from Jareth. The Goblin King pouted.

"Spoilsport" he said.

"Enough is enough" said Sarah. "Like I said, I'm wise enough to know when I'm being taken advantage of and I know when to stop…It's late, I think I'll go back to my room now."

"You can't possibly spend the night in that shabby little room" said Jareth.

"Well…then I guess I'll go back to the hut. The goblin battle is probably over now anyway."

"Do you really think so" Jareth said as he walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down. Sarah did the same and was astounded by the mess that the goblins had created. The city was dark but the flames illuminated parts of the town and Sarah could see that the battle was still well under way."

"I suppose…you could always spend the night in my chamber" said Jareth. He could tell from her cagey expression that she was not happy with his offer. "I, of course, will not be there" he added.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked as he began to walk away back to the castle door.

"I'm a Goblin King" is all he said before he disappeared.

* * *

That night Sarah spent her sleeping time resting in the comfort of Jareth's majestic bedding. It was the most trouble-free slumber she had ever had and she awoke feeling snug and refreshed. She stretched her slender body then got out of bed and walked over to Jareth's large colonial gold mirror. She smiled at how pretty she looked at this particular morning. The Goblin Kings' chamber seemed to make her feel bright and new. She combed through her rich chocolate hair with her fingers. She changed back into her jeans and sweater which also looked cleaner than before and went straight down to the foyer of the castle to see if the goblin battle had ended. There was a lot of noise when she reached the entrance hall. The main door to the castle was wide open and she could see that the goblins were still fighting. Jareth was up and about. He hadn't seen Sarah yet. She watched him as he walked outside and started to yell at the goblins. His anger made him lose all of charm that he displayed last night. 

"Alright that's enough! You better get the city back in order or it'll be your head stuck on the front castle wall!" Jareth shouted.

"Yes master" said the goblins and other much more threatening creatures who immediately stopped what they were doing to obey their master. The entire city began to get tidied-up without hesitation. Sarah opened her mouth in disgust. Jareth had told her yesterday that not even he could stop a battle like that and that was why she had to stay the night.

"What?…" Sarah said, marching up to Jareth to confront him. Jareth flinched when he saw her. "You mean that all you had to do was tell them to stop and they would. What didn't you tell them last night!"

"Look Sarah, last night you became very agitated because of what happened to Hoggle. I thought that staying the night might help you to settle down, that's all."

"You tricked me" she said heatedly, embarrassed she was stupid enough to fall for it.

"Oh Sarah, don't be like that. You have to admit you did enjoy last night though" he said suggestively. But she was not happy.

"You're unbelievable" she said as she shook her head. Then she stormed off out into the Goblin City. "And all this time I could have been searching for Hoggle!" she screamed back to him.

She strode through the city with fury in her eyes. Her plan was to go straight to the hut. If Hoggle wasn't there she would go back out to look for him even if it took her all day and all night. She would not be able to rest until she knew Hoggle was safe.

But then, just as she was about to leave the city she heard what sounded like Hoggle's croaky voice, along with the voices of some other goblins. Sarah thought that was a little odd, seeing as Hoggle never usually congregated with the creatures he often called 'stupid' and 'vile'. What seemed even more strange was that she heard them all laughing. She followed the sounds of their voices until she reached one of the goblins' houses. It was the same one that she and her friends had to hide in when they were involved in the goblin battle the first time she ever came to the Labyrinth. When she entered she saw that it had been changed into a tavern with a bartender-goblin serving pints of ale to other thirsty creatures. Sarah could not believe her eyes when she saw Hoggle sitting with another goblin on a stool at the bar. He held a beer mug in his hand and he seemed very unstable. He was in the middle of a telling a joke to the other goblin.

"And the I said to him, I said, hey… I'm up fer it but is your missus" said Hoggle who's voice was slow and incoherent.

The spiky hair goblin laughed so hard that he fell of his seat.

"Told yer it would be funny" said Hoggle who took another swig of beer and slammed his tankard down on the table.

"Hoggle?" Sarah interrupted, looking dumbfounded when she saw her drunken best friend.

Hoggle turned his head around. He looked at her like he had never looked at her before. She wasn't sure if he remembered that his feelings for her had been exposed or not. He stumbled of his stool and staggered up to her. His unattractive goblin face coming close to her.

"Sarah, have you come to listen to my joke?" he asked in a rambling voice before releasing a series of hiccups and belches and then a few giggles to follow.

"What's happened to you?" she asked drawing away from the intoxicating stench of his breath.

"Nothin'. I'm just 'avin' a drink with me best pals" he said grabbing one of the goblins from it's seat and rubbing his knuckles through his hair.

"Hoggle, I thought you didn't enjoy the company of the goblins" said Sarah.

"Yeah, but I do now. One day…(_hiccup_)…you say you hate someone and then the before you can say gobbledeegoo…they're like your best soul mate. You should know that Sarah. You're always the one to know" said Hoggle.

"Hoggle what are you talking about? Come on, let's get you home" she said, pulling him along with her.

He tried to struggle but he was so drunk he couldn't even make the effort to resist.

"Alright then" he said as he let her haul him along. "Goodbye everybody" he said to the other inebriated goblins.

* * *

When Sarah had finally gotten Hoggle back to the empty hut she gave him a glass of water to try and sober him up. She told him to sit on a small stool and worriedly watched him rock back and forth. What had he done to himself? She couldn't help but feel guilty. She went to sit on the bed opposite him and began to talk. 

"Hoggle, I know you feel guilty about the potion, but I forgive you. Don't torment yourself about it. I've never seen you act so stupid as you're doing tonight."

Hoggle laughed at her.

"You didn't think Jareth was serious did yer" he said unconvincingly. "The potion was just a joke…between Alfred and me. We wanted to see how far it would take yer. You don't really think I told him to give yer it because I had feelings for yer do yer?"

Sarah wasn't buying it.

"Hoggle, it was a horrible thing for Jareth to do. He humiliated you by revealing things you didn't want to be revealed! I don't blame you for being upset" said Sarah.

"I'm not!" he shouted. "Anyways, I know you ain't really mad at Jareth" he said.

"Why do you say that?" asked Sarah, scared that he knew something.

"No reason" he lied as he bowed his head, thinking about the kiss that shattered his soul.

Sarah's eyes filled with compassion as she moved closer to him and held his shaky hand.

"You're my best friend Hoggle. I never want to see you act like this again. I care about you too much to let you do this to yourself. Jareth should never have harassed you I know that, but you can't let him bother you."

Hoggle looked up at her.

"You really do care about me?" he asked.

"Of course I do Hoggle" said Sarah who smiled at him fondly.

Poor Hoggle must have misread the signals she was giving out because at that moment he leaned forward to kiss her. Sarah gasped and quickly pulled away.

"Hoggle what are you doing?" she asked.

"I thought that…"

"You thought wrong. I was only…"

"O' dear" Hoggle said as he quickly stood up. "I've got to go" he said as he stagger to the door.

"Hoggle don't run away again" Sarah cried. "I'm sorry, you just misunderstood me."

"No I've got to go" he said, opening the door.

"Hoggle please!" Sarah said as she quickly clutched his arm gently and tried to bring him back.

"Let go!" he shouted, aggressively pushing her away from him. She fell to the floor. For a dwarf he was pretty strong. Hoggle looked back at her. He wanted to apologise and help her up but he was hurting to much. He slammed the door and ran off into the darkness of the Labyrinth, leaving Sarah to cry softly on the floor.

* * *

When Sarah had finished crying she went back out to look for Hoggle. It was pouring with rain. The night was cold and after three hours there was still no sign of him. It had never rained in the Labyrinth for all the time Sarah had been there but she didn't like it. She had no idea where she was and didn't know how to get back home. She laughed when she thought about home. Where was home? Was it at the small shabby hut in the middle of a forest? Or was it back in the real world in a reasonably-sized apartment where she had few friends but at least a normal lifestyle? The rainwater synchronized with the tears on her face. Since she had come to the Labyrinth she had made such a mess. She had dejected her best friend, embraced with a seductive Goblin King and totally wiped out the life and family she had before. Looking around she saw that she had reached a wide open space which she had never been to before. The grass beneath her feet was very muddy and everything around her was so dark that she had no clue where to go next. She felt frightened and cold and her clothes were drenched with filthy water. 

"Hoggle!" she cried out, more for him to come and save her than anything. But no one answered. She looked down at her mud-covered shoes. It seemed like the more she walked, the thicker the mud became. She tried standing still but it just made her feet sink into the ground even more.

The rain seemed to be getting stronger every minute. She could hardly see anything through the pelting downpour. She continued to walk through the mud which had now come up to her knees. She tried calling out for Hoggle again but knew it was useless. She just wanted anybody to come and save her right now. She was afraid the ground would sink her completely! The rain continued to cascade her as she collapsed in exhaustion. Now her whole body had gotten absolutely filthy. She tried to stand but the mud pulled her into the ground. Her screams were covered by the brown sludge that sucked her into oblivion as it were alive and needed to feed on her. All that was left of her now was her hand which reached out into the air. She was desperate for someone to take hold of it and pull her back to life. But will anyone come to her rescue?

* * *

_Author's Note: Hows that for a quick update. I've just realised there's only two more chapters to go!! _

_Reviews please x_

_Next chapter - Stormy Love_


	8. Stormy Love

**Chapter Eight: Stormy Love**

No…nobody came to rescue her. Sarah was pulled into the sodden earth and was never to be seen again. I'm sorry but not all stories have happy endings. This is sometimes the way it goes.

The rain had cleared the next day and Hoggle walked up to the heath where all the other creatures gathered around to mourn for Sarah's death. He had no idea what was going on so he asked one of the nearby goblins to explain to him why everybody was so upset. When he told Hoggle that Sarah had died the dwarf broke down into tears. This was twice that he had lost the girls he had loved, both of them taken away by rainstorms and Hoggle never got the chance to apologize to Sarah. From that day on he had to live forever with his guilt.

As for Jareth, well, no one ever saw him again. Maybe he had watched Sarah get pulled to her death but was too late to save her and so ran away from his Labyrinth because he couldn't handle the shame. But one thing we do know was that he thought about Sarah everyday of his life...

...That's what would have happened if Jareth had not come to Sarah's rescue just as she was about to be submerged into the mucky earth forever. The Goblin King came from out of nowhere and rushed over to Sarah. He reached for her hand and with ease he pulled her out of the mud. She was unconscious but at least she was breathing. He took her frail body into his arms and wiped the mud from her face. Then he stood up and carried all the way her back to his castle.

* * *

Sarah sat in the throne-room in the castle. She was still unconscious as Jareth sat next to her and tried to wake her. Her hair was wet and sticky and her clothes were still dirty. If he did have powers to make her clean he hadn't got round to doing it yet. A goblin walked up to Jareth with a drink which Jareth asked him to fetch for her in case she woke up. He looked at the mug he had brought her and sneered in disgust.

"Beadle when I said get her a drink I meant water, not a bloody cocktail. We're not trying to get her drunk you brainless swine!" yelled Jareth.

"Sorry master, I'll fetch it now" croaked the goblin as he walked away and downed the alcoholic beverage himself.

A few minutes later the goblin came back with a cup of water. Jareth was just about to take it when the goblin chucked the liquid in Sarah's unconscious face.

"What the hell are you doing!" shouted Jareth.

"I thought you meant…to wake her up" said the goblin.

"No I didn't you imbecile!"

But the goblin's stupidity had actually worked. Sarah quickly jolted awake in shock.

"Where am I?" she asked in panic.

"It's alright. I found you unconscious in the rain. You're okay now" said Jareth.

Sarah looked down at her mud-covered clothes in distress.

"What happened?" she asked, "the last thing I remember was…the rain."

"You was submerged in Quick Sludge, a death-trap used for enemies who stray about the wrong districts of the Labyrinth. You were not supposed to go there…why were you there Sarah?" he asked concernedly.

"I…I don't know. Hoggle ran away again. I was looking for him" she said, still traumatized from her near-death experience. She looked at Jareth. His face looked worn-out and his shirt was torn so that she could see his silky white skin baring through it. They gazed at each other for a few moments.

"I'm sorry" -

"I'm sorry" they both said at the same time.

Jareth let out a sharp cackle and Sarah smiled.

"What are _you_ sorry for?" asked Jareth.

"For all the trouble I've caused since being here. I've practically ruined everyone's life" she said pitifully. "What are you sorry for?"

"I know how much Hoggle means to you and I apologise for humiliating him in front of you the other day…I should have known that he had feelings for you before I made you stay here."

Tears began to form in Sarah's eyes.

"I wish he didn't have these feelings for me. It makes things so much more complicated. I hate to think of all the trouble I could cause just by being friends with someone and misleading them to think I wanted more" she said.

Jareth softly touched her face with his gloved finger and wiped the single tear which had fallen from her eyes.

"He's not the only one who you may be misleading Sarah" said Jareth.

She looked at him. She knew what he meant, but for some reason she didn't want to tell him that he was being mislead by her. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe she wanted his feelings for her to progress.

"Jareth I…" she began to say but he put his finger to her lips so she could say no more. Then he leant in towards her and kissed her fully on the lips. She needed it as much as he did. In the past they always felt like lost souls who were forever searching for someone to love them. Now they had found each other.

Now, once could easily be dismissed as a coincidence but getting caught twice surely cannot happen by chance. That's right, Hoggle was there again spying on the couple from a high-up ledge as they embraced. This time he didn't look upset, he looked enraged. Jareth had stolen his girl and he wasn't going to let him get away with it. He cared about Sarah, certainly, but if he were to accept her falling in love with somebody other than him then Jareth is the last person he would want that to be.

* * *

When Sarah arrived back at the hut Hoggle wasn't there. She hoped that he had just gone for a walk and not gone to the bar to get even more drunk. It was horrible to think about the heartbreak that Hoggle had to go through. When she had first met him she just thought he was a careless dwarf who didn't have very deep feelings. How wrong was she? She hoped that one day they'd forget about all that has happened and would be back to being friends again. 

So she climbed into the small, unkempt bed that she had been staying in for the past week and closed her eyes. She knew that she was worried about Hoggle but thoughts of Jareth were also preoccupied her mind. He gave her feelings that she had never felt before. It was all so exhilarating and new. Even though she knew he was a Goblin King with a very mysterious past and she was just a human being who was at least half his age, there was an exciting kind of spark that flickered between them every time their eyes met. Eventually she dozed off with dreams of Jareth on her mind.

But while Sarah lay fast asleep a dwarf named Hoggle stood in the doorway as a dark shadow covered most of his face. He was staring at her strangely, as if he was about to do something regretful. It appeared that he was holding a bottle in his hand filled with green slime. It looked awfully familiar to the love potion that Alfred had given Sarah before. He slowly walked towards her and gazed at her face, which looked rather beautiful as she slept. Then he opened the bottle, his eyes still fixated on Sarah. He took it to her lips and began to pour a little bit of the liquid in her mouth. Even though she was asleep she still managed to swallow the potion. Hoggle took the bottle away from her and then watched her for a moment. He became a little startled when he saw that she opened her eyes. The potion must have awakened her.

"Hoggle" she said with a soft happy tone, looking glad that he was okay.

"Yes Sarah I'm here" he said. "You go back to sleep now."

Sarah gave him a warm smile then closed her eyes. Hoggle wondered if the potion had actually worked yet or if it needed more time. Only tomorrow would tell.

* * *

When tomorrow came Sarah did not wake up in the stillness of the surrounding forest like she was used to. Instead she was jolted awake by a deafening thunder and the trembling unsteadiness of the ground. Her eyes darted around with panic. 

"What's happening?!" she cried. "Hoggle?!"

But Hoggle was not there. She soon learned that the hut she slept in had been torn apart by a destructive earthquake. Only half of it was there! The half where Hoggle had been sleeping was no where in sight. The roof had been blown off and there was a large gap on the other side of it where Sarah could see out into the open air. Only, she couldn't see anything because the air was filled with a strong grey heavy wind that shook the cabin so it rocked from side to side. Sarah stood up out of her bed to look where she was but the hut toppled to one side and thrust her to the back of it so that she fell to the floor with a sharp blow. She stood up again but this time she held on to the rails of the bed for support. She walked over to the end of the hut where it had been torn off and peered out into the Labyrinth. Her eyes looked a little strange and dazed. The howling winds swept her hair from her face and blew grains of ashes and dust in her eyes. She had no idea where abouts in the Labyrinth she was or even if she was in the Labyrinth at all! Then she looked down. She saw the cabin was being propped up by a large tree which seemed like it would snap at any minute. Look even further down made her heart beat even faster than it already was. She gasped when she caught sight of a vast black hole of oblivion that the hut would fall in to if the tree shook any greater. It looked kind of like the Oubliette but much deeper and much darker. She was sure that nothing unpleasant could be found inside the hole and she didn't want to stay around to find out.

"Hoggle! Help!" she screamed but the winds seemed to cry louder than she did.

But Hoggle didn't come. There was only one hope for Sarah now.

* * *

"Master! Master!" one of Jareth's white-bearded servants cried as he ran toward him. Jareth was sitting casually on his throne 

"What? Can't you see I'm very busy" he said, even though it didn't look like he was doing anything other than thinking to himself.

"Haven't you seen it?"

"Seen what?" he said impatiently.

"The tempest. It's right outside. It's effected the entire the Labyrinth apart from the castle. Everything's ruined.

Without saying anything Jareth shot up from his throne and rushed to the doors of the Goblin City. When he opened them he was taken aback by the colossal thunderstorm that surrounded the whole Labyrinth like it had declared war on Jareth's kingdom. The sky was filled with dark grey clouds which swept over the land. The tempest seemed to cover everything apart from Jareth's castle which was completely untouched.

"What about Sarah?" Jareth asked.

"We don't know Sire" said the servant.

"Well haven't you sent the goblins out to look for her?!"

The servant bowed his head.

"The goblins have…perished Sire. It appears that the Goblin City was the place that suffered the worst" he said sorrowfully.

Jareth tried to console his distress. His entire empire had been destroyed.

"All of them?" he asked, lowering his voice to show his grief.

"No. There were three that were spared because they had snuck into the castle to steal some more ale."

Jareth glanced behind him. Stood at the back of the room were three guilty-looking goblins who looked about as useful as an umbrella would be in the tempest. What's more, they were all drunk! One of them waved at their king, the other belched and the last one just stood their smiling with his goofy teeth and large stone eyes. Jareth rolled his eyes.

"Out of all the goblins that could have been spared I got left with these three buffoons" he stated. "Now come on, we need to go out there and find the girl!" he said.

Then he threw one of his crystals into the storm so that it formed a gap of clear air which he and the goblins began to walk through.

* * *

Unfortunately for Sarah, the earthquake had began to start up again. The shattered cabin started to rock wildly back and forth. The tree that supported it shook rowdily, almost as if it was trying to shake the cabin off. Sarah tried to grab hold of anything she could reach but it was no use, the whole cabin was going to fall into the black void below. She screamed as the hut collapsed. Like the Titanic, it tipped sideways before plunging into the depths of the void. Quickly Sarah's hands reached for a branch on the tree and gripped it tightly as Hoggle's home feel from underneath her feet. She watched it fall down into the black hole until she could no longer see it. It took a while before she heard a great big crash! A lump choked her throat when she realised that if she let go of the branch she'd be history! How would her parents know if she was dead? What about her friends and her brother? Oh, why did Jareth have to keep such horrible death-traps in the Labyrinth? The wind began to blow more violently. The tree shuddered again. Sarah could hardly keep her grip. She looked at where the tree began. It's trunk was situated on a rocky crag which was too far for Sarah to jump to. She could try swing across it but the risk of her slipping and falling into the darkness below was too great. 

"Hoggle!" she screamed, desperately wishing the dwarf would turn up like a gallant knight and rescue her.

"Sarah!" she heard a voice call from the distance.

For a moment her eyes lit up. Who was that? Was it Hoggle?

But when Jareth emerged on the rock face above her she frowned in disappointment. The three remaining goblins stood behind him looking clueless and fidgety like they were children from the school that Sarah worked at before she got herself fired.

"Sarah, it's alright. I'm going to save you" he said as he elegantly pulled a crystal ball from his gloved hand and braced to throw it her way.

"No!" Sarah screamed. Jareth held back in surprise. "I want Hoggle to rescue me."

"What? Sarah this is no time for games" said Jareth as he prepared to throw the crystal again. But he stopped himself when he saw that Sarah was about to let go of the tree.

"I mean it Jareth. If you don't put that crystal down I'll let go!". She was serious. She was actually going to let go if Hoggle didn't come to save her.

* * *

_Author's Note: Dreadfully sorry about the beginning bit - I just couldn't resist. Not sure how this chap is going to be percieved so I'll just have to wait and see!_

_Reviews please x_

_Next (and final) chapter - Topsy-Turvy Love_


	9. TopsyTurvy Love

Chapter Nine: Topsy-Turvy Love

Jareth looked at Sarahs's eyes. He saw that they were glassy and bewildered. Jareth knew that somebody had given her the love potion and he knew who that somebody was.

Just at that moment Elva the fairy came flying up quickly but gracefully towards the scene with a flush of dust that followed her. She panted as she regained herself together.

"Elva" Jareth said in a soft voice as he stared hopefully at the fairy.

"Jareth" said Elva, addressing him by his first name as if she knew him well. "Hoggle's trapped in the storm! He's not far away from here!"

"Well, I can't leave _her_ like this. She's telling herself she's going to jump!"said Jareth.

"What?" asked Elva.

"Hoggle gave her some love potion. She doesn't want anybody expect him to save her."

"That Hoggle. He can be such a bother at times" Elva said. "Well what are we going to do?"

Jareth looked behind him at the three goblins who were now picking earwax from each other's ears. He glowered at them but he knew they were his only choice.

"You'll have to send them with you" he said as he and Elva exchanged unhopeful looks. "Did you hear that?" he shouted at the goblins. "You're going to have to go and save Hoggle so go with Elva and do exactly as she says. Do you understand?!"

But just at that point in time, Alfred the troll appeared from the mists carrying no one other than a scruffy-looking Hoggle who stared at Jareth with guilt. He knew that Sarah still had the love potion inside of her and the first person she had seen last night was Hoggle.

"I'm sorry Jareth" is all he said with truth in his eyes as Alfred put him down. He knew how much damage he had caused and now he had put his best friend in danger.

"It's no use saying sorry Hoggle. How are we going to save her now? She only wants you to rescue her?" snapped Jareth.

"Well, the least I can do is try" Hoggle said after a pause of thought. He walked over to where Sarah was hanging from the bough that drooped down below.

The three goblins were stupidly trying to push and pull the large tree trunk that gave roots to the branch but they were only making it worse.

"Oh Hoggle, I knew you'd come to save me my love" said Sarah whose eyes filled with delight when she saw the dwarf.

Hoggle felt awkward when he saw her, knowing that he had caused her to be like this.

"Sarah, it pains me to say this but I'm not the one you love" said the dwarf.

"What are you talking about Hoggle? Of course I love you" she said, hurt by his words.

"No you don't. It's just a trick."

"How can you call what we have a trick. Hoggle I'd rather let go of this branch right now if it meant that I'd have to live a life without your love" she said as she started to loosen her grip of the branch.

"Wait! Don't do that Sarah! O' course I love you. Now just grab my hand".

Hoggle stretched out his stubby arm as much as he could. Sarah took one arm off the branch and tried to grasp it but it was no use. No one's arm would be long enough to reach her. That was why only Jareth's powers could save her.

"It's no use Hoggle. I' can't be saved" she said.

"Yes you can Sarah. Just hold on. I'll be back in a moment" said Hoggle before running back to Jareth.

"Now what do you suggest!" snapped Jareth who scoffed at Hoggle's ridiculous unsuccessful attempt at rescuing her.

Hoggle thought for a moment, then an idea lit above his head.

"The peach!" he said.

"What?"

"If you give her the peach that you gave her all them years ago you could trick her into thinking she loved you. Then she would let _you_ save her" Hoggle said with pride in his voice.

"Hoggle the idea of the peach was not to make her fall in love with me" Jareth said. But Hoggle could see through his lies. He stared at him until he made him feel discomfited enough to tell the truth. "Oh alright, it was" he confessed.

Jareth took out one of his crystals and transformed into a peach. But just then, a light scream came from behind. It was Elva! She was being blown away by the wind. Hoggle ran over to her to try and help her but then he realised that a giant-sized tornado was coming their way. It rumbled as it approached the dwarf. Hoggle tried to run back but he too got swept away by the twister. Jareth was unsure what to do. He looked at the goblins who were playing a game of rock-paper-scissors. He knew they'd only get dispelled into the whirlwind too. He threw the peach at the goblins as he went to try and rescue Hoggle and Elva.

"Make her eat the peach!" he said to them before he went to face the twister.

The goblins ran up to Sarah excitedly. They enjoyed that they had a task. It was all like a big game to them.

"Hey you, girl!" yelled a goblin who had a squeaky voice. "I'm going to throw the peach at you"

"What? Why?" asked Sarah.

"Tell her it will put hairs on her chest" said one goblin.

"No tell her it will give her wings" said the other.

"Shut up!" said the more clever goblin who held the peach. "Err…if you eat this peach, Hoggle will love you even more."

"Really?" said Sarah with glee.

The goblin threw the peach which she caught with one hand. She eagerly took a bite from the fruit but then screamed when she saw the green worm inside of it. She threw the peach away and frowned at the goblins. She thought it was probably a practical joke they were playing on her.

"Can't you see I'm hanging for my life here?! Go and fetch help!" she said. But after she said it her head began to spin. Her eyes widened and her heart started to beat faster. Then she looked on the rock face above her. She gazed in awe when she saw Jareth standing there with Hoggle hanging from his arm. Her eyes melted at his arrival. The peach had worked.

"I couldn't find Elva" Jareth said woefully, but Sarah didn't care about that.

"Jareth" Sarah said softly. "Save me my love"

Jareth once again pulled out a crystal and this time he managed to throw at her. The branch that she hung onto suddenly began to move. Sarah panicked.

"Stay still" said Jareth.

The branch slowly began to turn as it lifted Sarah along. It approached the crag and Sarah leapt forward into Jareth's arms when she reached it.

"Oh Jareth, you saved my life" she said, and thanked him by kissing him on his cheek. He felt uncomfortable at the fact that she was still hypnotised into thinking that she loved him. "Don't ever leave me" she said holding him close to her. Hoggle tried to disguise his heartbreak but the dwarf couldn't help but shatter when he saw the woman he loved kissing somebody else for the third time.

Unexpectedly, the cliff they were all standing on started to shake. The earthquake was striking again. Sarah clutched onto Jareth as the crag violently shook up and down and side to side. Alfred was big and strong enough to fend for himself but Hoggle was too distracted by watching Sarah and Jareth to bother to grab on to anything for safety. The land they were standing on started to crack. The ground began to split in two. Sarah and Jareth quickly jumped onto the safer said further away from the tree and the black hole. Alfred quickly followed but Hoggle hesitated.

"Quickly Hoggle!" shouted Jareth.

Hoggle looked down at the crack which grew larger by the second. If he didn't leap across now then he would fall into the black hole with the rest of the land he was standing on.

"Just jump!" shouted Alfred.

"I can't do it" said Hoggle.

"Hoggle if you don't jump now you'll be killed, and when I find your body I'll bury it in the Bog Of Eternal Stench" said Jareth.

That frightened Hoggle so he swiftly took a few steps back and closed his eyes. He ran up to the crack and leapt into the air. When he opened his eyes he realised that the gap was just too far away for him to reach. He gasped and stretched out his arms, preparing to clutch hold of the edge of the rock face where Jareth, Alfred and the three goblins watched him in anticipation. Sarah did not seem very interested. The peach had caused her to pay attention to Jareth and no one else. Hoggle finally reached the end of the gap and clung on to the ledge with all his strength.

"Curse these stubby fingers" he said to himself.

"Don't worry Hoggle. I'll save you" said Jareth who rushed over to the end of the cliff.

But something was holding him back. When he looked round he saw that Sarah was clutching hold of his arm.

"Don't go Jareth. I won't lose you. Get somebody else to save him" she cried. She was practically soaked with a mixture of drugs.

"Sarah I have to go. I'll be right back, I promise" said Jareth but she pulled him even more.

"Jareth I won't let you go! If you go I'll have to go with you!"

"It's too dangerous Sarah. You're weak from all the potion" he said.

"Pardon me" said Alfred, who suddenly came between the two and forced a bottle of potion down Sarah's throat. Jareth looked on bewildered as Sarah began to choke. But Alfred clutched her head and forced it to look at Hoggle. As soon as Sarah saw him her eyes became dazed again.

"Hoggle" she whispered softly, but when she saw he was in trouble she screamed in terror.

"Oh great, now she's in love with the dwarf again!" retorted Jareth.

"Yes but now she'll want him rescued. So hurry, go and save him" said Alfred.

Jareth rushed towards Hoggle and grasped hold of his hands. He tried to pull him up but some kind of force below him was making it harder. When he looked down he realised that it was Hoggle who was resisting his pull.

"Hoggle you're making it a lot harder for me to rescue you when you're trying to let go of my hands" said Jareth.

"Let me go Jareth" said Hoggle.

"What?"

"I don't want to live anymore. I'll be better off dead. Then you and Sarah can be together without me being a bother to you."

"Hoggle. I never thought I'd say this but….I want you here in the Labyrinth" declared Jareth, gritting his teeth as he said it. "I'm sorry that it didn't work between you and Sarah". Jareth looked around as he said this and saw that Sarah was gazing in lust at the little dwarf. Jareth turned back to face Hoggle. "But we both know she's not the one you really love".

With one free hand Jareth reached inside his cape. He pulled out an old-fashioned pendant. It was a rusty gold in colour and the words 'I Love You' etched in the middle of a heart-shaped emblem. Hoggle's eyes grew wide when he saw the necklace.

"Helga" he whispered as if all the time Sarah had been here he had forgotten about his lost love.

"She wouldn't want you to do this to your self Hoggle. You know it" said Jareth.

"Oh, you're right" Hoggle said. "Now get me outta here before I fall to me death" he said in a lighter tone.

But just as Jareth was about to pull him up, Sarah raced up to Hoggle and pushed Jareth out of the way. She grasped on to the dwarf tightly as he hung in mid-air.

"Sarah what are you doing?" asked Hoggle. "Did she take the potion again?" he asked Jareth who regained his composure.

"Well, it's becoming hard to keep up but it seems that way" he said. "Sarah, leave him alone. Let me rescue him!"

But the rock shook a little more and Sarah lost her balance. She tripped over and fell down the crack, screaming as she dropped. She grasped on to Hoggle's legs which made it even harder for Hoggle to hold on to the ledge. Jareth, Alfred and the goblins tried to pull them both up but the black hole was pulling Sarah from the other end. The weight was too strong for them!

"Hoggle I'm scared" Sarah yelled up to the dwarf.

"You just hold on Sarah" said Hoggle uncertainly. "I know I'm trying to" he muttered.

"We can't pull the Jareth. The black hole's too strong" said Alfred. "We'll need someone twice our size to rescue them!"

Just at that moment, Elva the fairy came flying back to them. Jareth's eyes lit up a little.

"Elva, I thought you were…"

"Dead! Don't be stupid. That silly tornado couldn't out-fly me!" she said. "Looks like you're having a little trouble" she said looking at Sarah and Hoggle who were both yelling. "Good thing I brought help"

"Here I am" said a warm, goofy voice from behind them as a giant ginger-coloured arm stretched out in front of them. It was Ludo!

"Ludo save them" he said as he reached down and picked Hoggle up effortlessly while Sarah hung from the bottom of Hoggle's legs. He dropped them onto the safe rock and fell back in exhaustion.

"Well done Ludo" said Jareth as he watched Sarah cling on to Hoggle like a security blanket. "Now all we need to worry about is how to get the Labyrinth back in order."

* * *

It was one hour later. Jareth, Sarah, Hoggle, Alfred, Ludo, Elva and the three goblins all sat in the devastation of the Goblin City. The storm had clearly but the ruins were completely visible. The city was full of broken huts and damaged armour. The only thing that still stood tall was the castle behind him. They hadn't seen what the rest of the Labyrinth looked like yet but they knew it wouldn't be pretty. Jareth stared into the ruins of his kingdom. Even though he tried his best to hide it, his agony could easily be seen. He only had three goblins left now. What kind of Goblin King could he possible be with only three idiotic goblins to rule? Sarah, who had been asleep for the past hour, had just began to wake up. She groaned and clutched on to her head as she opened her eyes. 

"How do you feel?" asked Jareth.

"My head is spinning" she said. "What happened? Where are we? Is this the Goblin City? Why is it so empty?"

She obviously hadn't remembered a thing.

"There was a terrible storm that destroyed my Labyrinth. You were drugged so you will not be able to remember any of it."

Sarah looked around at her friends, gobsmacked at everything she had missed.

"But who gave me love potion?" she asked. "I don't remember drinking any".

Hoggle and Jareth looked at each other nervously. Hoggle was just about to confess when Alfred stepped in.

"I'm afraid I gave it to you" he said, his voice a lot nice than it was when she first met him. "I'm sorry, I just needed it testing so I crept into your home when you was asleep."

Sarah frowned but she didn't have to energy to argue.

"Where's Sir Didymus?" she asked, realising he was not with them.

"He hasn't been found. We're guessin' that he died with the goblins. I'm sorry Sarah" said Hoggle.

"Oh no" she said softly, bowing her head down.

But just after she had said that she heard a noise in the distance. It sounded like a galloping horse. They all watched eagerly as a small figure emerged from the ashes in the distance. Sarah gasped with happiness when she saw the brave Sir Didymus racing towards them on his dog Ambrosius.

"Come on Ambrosius. We're nearly there. Don't delay" she heard him shout.

Sarah ran up towards the fox and the dog and picked them up so she could squeeze them tight.

"I'm so glad you're alive" she said.

"Well of course we are my lady. You don't think I'd let a little drizzle kill me do you" he said as Sarah laughed.

"I should have known you would be able to withstand an earthquake" she said as she put them down.

"Earthquake? Who said anything about an earthquake. I saw no such thing. Did you?" Sir Didymus asked one of the stupid goblins. He continued to talk as Sarah stared into the distance again. She was sure she could see something else coming.

"Sarah what are you looking at?" asked Jareth as he walked up to her side.

"Look over there" Sarah said as she pointed to the distance.

Jareth and Sarah watched as they saw something emerging from the distance. The could faintly hear the sounds of drunken chanting. When they looked a little closer they saw that all of Jareth's goblins were standing in a row walking towards the city. They put their arms round each other as they sang and laughed drunkenly. Jareth couldn't help but smile.

"They must have been hiding one of the underground tavern's" he laughed. "They probably didn't even know about the thunderstorm."

The goblins were so intoxicated that they didn't even realise their city had been destroyed One of them walked over to where the small hut with the bar used to be. But when he tried to push open the door he feel flat on his face. The hundreds of goblins all burst out into laughter, as did Sarah, Jareth and all the creatures behind them.

"Looks like you're still the Goblin King" said Sarah.

"Yes, and will a Goblin King stand for this kind of behaviour?" asked Jareth.

"No you won't" laughed Sarah.

Jareth marched over to the goblins and began to shout at them.

"Alright! Enough clowning around. I'm your master and you will do as I say. Get inside! All of you!" shouted Jareth, but you could tell he was loving every second of it.

* * *

_Author's Note: __Epilogue next... (but you can't go to it until you've reviewed this chapeter) haahahahaaha..._


	10. Epilogue: Love

**Epilogue: Love**

Later on, they all congregated in Jareth's throne room. It had never been so alive. The goblins were up to their usual tricks with Jareth trying to control them. Sir Didymus was telling Ludo and Alfred about how he braved the storm and saved the land and Hoggle was gazing admirably at Helga's pendant.

"You really loved her didn't you Hoggle?" asked Sarah.

"Yes I did, and she loved me. I guess it was because I was forgetting about her that I confused my friendship with you for love. I'm sorry" he said.

"Don't apologize Hoggle. I'll always forgive you. You're my best friend, and I know that Helga's looking down on you down with all the pride in the world."

"Thanks Sarah" he said.

Everybody seemed happy for once. Well, except for one. Sarah turned around to see Elva's head bowed down low. She looked sad. She walked up to her and sat beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"I have a confession to make Sarah. I could have stopped all of this happening" declared Elva.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"I knew the storm was coming and I could have told everybody so they could have been prepared. Now I've destroyed the entire Labyrinth."

"But…how did you know the storm was coming? Storms like that hardly ever strike the Labyrinth."

"Exactly. The only other storm like that was back when Helga got taken away. That was when I realised what the cause of these storms were". Sarah stared in perplexity, not quite sure what Elva was saying. "Love Sarah! Love causes the storms and earthquakes. It's the Labyrinth's curse. Love is the only emotion that the Labyrinth cannot control. Hoggle loved Helga so much that the Labyrinth could handle it, so it created a storm to take Helga away. When you came here Hoggle found out that he loved you just as much. That's why the tempest happened. And now all of those creatures have died all because of me."

Elva began to cry.

"But Elva. Hoggle just told me that he didn't really love me, not like he loved Helga" said Sarah.

Elva looked up.

"But if Hoggle didn't love you, then who did?"

Just then, Jareth approached the two. He reached out his hand for Elva to sit on. He brought the little fairy closer to his face and spoke to her.

"It was me Elva. I was the one who loved Sarah". Then he turned to face Sarah. "And I hope she can forgive me for all I've done."

Sarah stood up and looked him in the eyes.

"I can forgive you Jareth" she said as she smiled.

He leaned forward to kiss her but something got it the way.

"I'm still here you know. You could at least wait until I've flown off" said Elva before leaving them to embrace.

This time Hoggle looked up at them and smiled as he held the necklace to him tightly. He knew now that just because you lose someone it doesn't mean you have to stop loving them. Hoggle and Helga will always be together as long as he never forgets her.

The End 


End file.
